


PhDanvers

by chat_rouge



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: And all that jazz, F/F, Kara is an environmental scientist, Kara works for Lena, Minor Jess (Supergirl TV 2015), Since she watched her world get destroyed, Slice of Life ish, Slow Burn, no real plot, some corporate espionage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23620687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chat_rouge/pseuds/chat_rouge
Summary: Maybe this wasn’t really a job interview but a trap… Kara gently wrapped her hand around the armrests of the chair but her grip was of steel.“Yes… It was very… generous,” she started carefully hesitating in her wording, “but I’m not sure why you want me, this is a multi-billion dollar tech company, and I’m just an environmental engineer.”Lena threw her head back and scoffed.Actually scoffed.orLena is a young CEO trying her best and Kara is sick of everyone focusing on all the wrong things.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 482
Kudos: 1462





	1. The Job

What was that saying, from that old movie Alex had shown her, _I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse_. 

Kara had to admit, the money was certainly good.

Resources would be coming out of her ears with this. She might even be able to help design a carbon _negative_ building in National City. Maybe even _buildings_ across the globe if the offer was serious about the team she would get.

But… getting an offer from Lena Luthor was like getting an offer from the godfather. 

She was pretty sure she was using that reference correctly.

The point was that she was getting an offer from Lena Luthor to work for Luthor Corp, that apparently was in the midst of rebranding. Which was a bit suspicious, considering the history between her cousin and Lena’s brother.

Although she wasn’t sure if Lena even knew she and Clark were related, let alone anything else. But she was still a Luthor, and Kara didn’t even know how Lena found her.

Of course Kara was well known in her field, among environmental scientists she was considered a bit of a celebrity, some even thought she was well on her way to a nobel prize.

Not that she really cared for that. To her, the human knowledge base was primitive enough that the challenge was building a computer when iron just became available. So rather than making her feel accomplished it felt frustrating on how little progress they were making as a group when she knew how much could be accomplished.

That wasn’t the point though, the point was Luthor Corp was into tech, finance, and real estate, but not environmental sciences, which was her ‘speciality’. 

If someone wanted to be really specific they could say environmental engineering, but she spent a good 10 months working in marine biology to develop a new algae to help stabilize coral reefs and prevent them bleaching. Biology was her worst feild and the algae only helped 19.08% of the time, but it was considered a huge success, especially since they understand how and why the bleaching happens now much better now.

Environmental Engineer was just too restrictive, Environmental Conservationist made her sound like someone who was outside and did the business and legal legwork so she preferred Environmental Scientist. 

Either way she had no idea why Lena Luthor needs an Environmental Scientist, and normally she would just ignore the offer like Alex told her too.

But it was just too good.

She was here just to scope things out. So sue her, she was curious about Lena and she knew what they said about curiosity and cats. But satisfaction brought it back. 

Which is why she was sitting nervously in front of Lena Luthor’s receptionist. Maybe she was a little nervous and got here twenty minutes earlier than she needed to. Not that she had anyone to impress.

Obviously Lena Luthor was a busy woman, as the receptionist, Jess her name was, reminded her four times already. 

It wasn’t as though Kara had made so much as a peep. The waiting made her restless and fidgety in her seat. But Jess seemed to take great offense to her nervous motions and got more agitated each time Kara wiggled in her chair.

Unconsciously she did it again. This time Jess stood slightly from her chair and opened her mouth and oh no there was going to be yelling.

“Jess, please send Miss Danvers in for me, Thank you,” said what she was assuming Lena Luthor’s voice over the intercom.

Saved by a Luthor.

She never thought she would see the day.

She scrambled for the door before Jess could say anything else, but she managed to hear someone tell Jess, “Luthor is going to eat that girl alive.”

\-----------

Falling into the room may not be her best impression, but she quickly righted herself, straightening out her crumpled shirt. She cleared her throat and looked at Miss Luthor who looked amused and was staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

The facts were these, Lena Luthor was a gorgeous, confident, scary billionaire who was looking at her with a gaze that can only be described as predatory.

Actually, scary was an opinion, probably, but people have described her as intimidating and Kara was starting to sweat. 

Feeling a blush come up her body she went forward to introduce herself.

“I’m Dr. Kara Danvers, you sent me a job offer, but um you already know that as you were the one who gave the offer and called me here so I’m just telling you information you already know,” she babbled.

Lena looked as though she won the lottery and shook her hand, “Lena Luthor, charmed,” she purred.

It was safer to stay outside with Jess. Alex was right; she should’ve just turned down the offer without thinking about it. 

“Please have a seat,” Lena motioned towards the chair on the other side of the table. It was a temporary conference room for Luthor Corp usage in this building. Kara begrudgingly sat down, “Have you taken a look at the offer I sent you?”

She was leaning back in her chair with a smile that looked predatory. Her arms were resting on the hand rests, blood red nails playing with a thousand dollar pen.

Or maybe that was actual blood, and not paint as Kara had assumed.

Maybe James wasn’t being ridiculous when he told her she bathed in the blood of virgins to keep herself looking so young and beautiful.

Maybe this wasn’t really a job interview but a trap… Kara gently wrapped her hand around the armrests of the chair but her grip was of steel.

“Yes… It was very… generous,” she started carefully hesitating in her wording, “but I’m not sure why you want me, this is a multibillion dollar tech company, and I’m just an environmental engineer.”

Lena threw her head back and scoffed.

Actually scoffed.

“Just an environmental engineer? I read what you did with that algae, and that tech you designed in Malaysia. Please I can go all day with how remarkable you are, someone once said you’re a gift to the scientific community and far be it for me to disagree,” she looked Kara up and down, “you’re a superstar amongst anyone who knows rudimentary physics. Everyone wants you on their team.”

Well, that wasn’t strictly true, there were many people who hated the work she did, she was an outspoken environmentalist and respected in the scientific community. A bad combination for a company that felt like cutting corners and endangering the world for the sake of profit. 

In other words, most corporations, many governments, and some very powerful individuals.

But she was familiar with this, the flattery to get her to build something for some cash.

Lena Luthor might be a little more flirty, but she wasn’t that much different from any other CEO’s, maybe she knew her stuff better being an engineer herself but…

Kara had dealt with this before, she wasn’t scared of those men, she had no reason to be scared now.

“I want to make something clear, I don’t know what you want from me, but my life’s work has been about making the world a better place, I won’t be bribed into doing something different, I won’t be talked into giving it up,” she snapped.

Taken aback Lena’s smile had lost it’s flirty look.

“I guess there’s some steel under that cardigan,” the chair spun as grabbed a remote from her desk, “I’m well aware what this company stands for and I’m planning on changing that. I want to be remembered for more than just Lex’s mistakes and will bring this corporation to the forefront of modernity and innovation,” on the screen a few different designs of ‘L’ logos appeared, “I’m planning on rebranding, moving the headquarters to National City, but to do that I need good people on my side,” she looked pointedly at Kara before continuing.

“I also need to change the direction this company is heading in and make it the leading brand in environmental friendliness and design new technology around being green,” She looked back at Kara looking a little tired, “I can’t do that on my own, you’re the best of the best. Both when it comes to morals and intelligence. Don’t you want to help lead one of the biggest corporations into a better future?” 

It was wrong of her to listen in on someone’s heart rate, but Kara was a resource beyond Lena’s understanding and if she took this position it would change her life.

Since Kara hadn’t said anything Lena looked at her, looking more vulnerable and sincere than Kara ever expected to see, “I’m just a woman trying to make a name outside her family, can you understand that.”

Her heart rate was steady and all Kara could do was say,

“Yes”

Later she thought about the woman who said that _Luthor was going to eat her alive._

She was wrong, her sister was going to kill her first.

Curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back, only to be killed by its sister again.

Maybe this is why cats are said to have nine lives?

She wasn’t sure she was using the idiom correctly.

Maybe she should have spent more time researching cats?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I did not abandon Pain is my only friend. But I've had this laying around for a while, it was actually a suggestion of my brother who pointed out when I was talking to him that it would make more sense for Kara to go into the environmental sciences as she watched her world be destroyed due to the misuse of resources she would probably be desperate to use her knowledge to preserve and protect this one when humans are so obviously going down the same path. It was a really awesome point and made a lot more sense then her going into journalism and would make for more interesting character archs and conflicts instead of that BS they did with her.
> 
> That being said, I'm not making this super fast paced with a specific plot-line. While each chapter is in chronological order and obviously connected, they are meant to be more self contained stories from this world. It's just the way I happened to write it and I'm not currently in the position to map out an entire story from beginning to end. Let me know what you think, leave kudos, comments and suggestions and feel free to ask questions. Stay safe!


	2. Interview with Clark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark comes to interview Lena after the venture explosion.

She was going to kill Clark, and maybe Alex. Well not kill, maybe just yell with enough malicious intent and tears in her eyes that they feel both scared and guilty.

Kara was going to give both Clark and Alex a strongly worded lecture.

Either of them could have given her a heads up that they were investigating her boss. It may not make her happy that her boss was being investigated, but she understood that Alex had a job to do that wasn’t entirely in her control.

She also understood Clark’s fears and concerns. Maybe not agreed, but understood.

But  _ they _ also have to understand that she wants a heads up before they do anything or look too far. This was her boss, her colleague, her friend. 

Well… Kara only had a working relationship with Lena, but Lena told her an anecdote the other day while they were out for coffee. It wasn’t even a work coffee. Granted, they were part of the same meeting and had another meeting together afterwards and that was their 30 minute break...

But it wasn’t a business coffee break because they just spent their minutes chatting and making jokes, and didn’t speak about work.

They were friendly.

_ So she expected her family to have the decency to warn her about these things. _

At least Alex was restrained by the confines of the law and couldn’t just break down the door to Lena’s office throwing around false accusations.

Unlike Clark who just marched in like he owned the place, not quite subtly insinuating Lena was a terrorist.

So at this very second she was more angry at Clark. 

Alex’s saving grace was that she investigated silently.

Also Clark was in the building and Kara had more time to fume as she rode the elevator up listening to the “interview” that Clark was conducting.

The moment the elevator doors opened she stormed through past Jess and into Lena’s office.

She’ll probably pay for that later, but that wasn’t important.

Lena was giving Clark a look, but Clark was looking at Kara. He probably heard her coming from the hall.

“Kara! I wasn’t expecting to see you today!” He exclaimed. “We should hang out later, after I’m done with this interview if you don’t mind,” he gave his thousand watt smile looking charming and innocent as ever.

As though he didn’t just invade her workplace and accuse her boss.

“Don’t you Kara me,” she threatened, “What are you doing here?”

He put his arms up and acted innocent, “It’s just an interview.”

Kara sputtered, “Just an interview?”

“Ahem,” Lena cleared her throat and they both turned to her, she stood there with a raised eyebrow and gave a tight smile once she gotten their attention, “Kara, I didn’t know you knew Mr. Kent.”

Feeling guilty, Kara gave her a sheepish look but it was Clark that answered, “Kara is my baby cousin.

That seemed to surprise Lena, she furrowed her brow and seemed thrown off, though you wouldn’t be able to tell by her tone, “Really, why didn’t you mention you had such a famous cousin?”

Oh no, was Lena upset? Clark did play a large role in bringing down Lex, maybe Lena was concerned that Clark might get information from her to try to bring Lena down as well.

“Oh yeah,” she answered awkwardly, not wanting to make her boss mad, “I never thought it was relevant,” then brusquely snapped at Clark, “I certainly wasn’t aware that he would come in today to start a witch hunt against you.”

It was Clark’s turn to sputter, “This isn’t a witch hunt, you’re overreacting, I’m just trying to get some facts,” he recovered by turning up his head and pointing at her, “this is exactly why I didn’t tell you I’m coming.” 

“You’re treating Lena like a suspect, she was busy, and she was not the only one who skipped this trip.”

“Kara, I know you like working for her, but her last name is still Luthor, and I’m just coming in to clear things up.”

Kara bristled but then noticed that Lena was laughing. Lena looked back up at them once she realized they weren’t yelling at each other anymore, “Please don’t stop arguing on my account.”

Kara stepped forward so she was standing in front of Lena’s desk, arms crossed, facing Clark, “I’m sorry Lena, I know you’re very busy and don’t have time for accusations from the press, Clark was just leaving.”

Clark gave an unamused laugh and looked like he was going to argue but instead just shook his head and let his shoulders fall, “Thank you for speaking with me Ms. Luthor, I’ll email any follow up questions I have,” it was said politely without a hint of malice in his voice.

He nodded towards Kara and left.

This was not the end of the conversation between her and Clark, and probably Lena, but crises averted for now.

She turned back to Lena to apologize for real, “I’m so sorry Lena, I had no idea he was coming.”

Lena sat back down and gave her a forced smile, “It must be hard working for a woman that everyone in your family hates, and you don’t need to apologize,” Lena waved her hand. 

Now she was angry at Alex again, so Lena hadn’t forgotten Alex’s cold attitude towards her. This was exactly why she stopped taking Alex to corporate parties and events.

Not that Alex minded...

“The actions of your cousin are not your own,” she moved some papers around no longer looking at Kara, “Besides I am a Luthor and Clark does have every right to be suspicious.”

“My entire family doesn’t hate you, Eliza thinks you’re brilliant,” although she was a bit nervous about Kara taking the job, but was ultimately supportive, “Alex is wary of everyone I know and takes a while to warm up,” which was true, “and Clark is just a jerk, he didn’t even call to tell me he was in town.”

Which Kara could easily defend as the truth.

Clark may be a good Samaritan and stand up citizen and a hero, but would it hurt for him to call and maybe visit once in a while. A visit when he wasn’t there to fight with her boss.

Family shouldn’t take back seat to the rest of your life.

Lena just raised her eyebrows and Kara was desperate to salvage the situation, “And you’re right, you’re a Luthor,” Lena’s face started to fall, “You’re Lena Luthor, the Luthor that’s going to save the world.”

That did it, Lena was smiling again.

“Let me make it up to you, for Clark ruining your day,” Kara suggested, “lunch on me this Thursday.”

Kara knew that dealing with the press and the renaming ceremony was taking a lot of energy out of Lena, so she didn’t want to distract Lena until it was done.

“You don’t have to make it up to me, and my day is certainly not ruined,” Lena told her all smiles and finally relaxed, “buttt,” she wiggled her shoulders, “I would love to celebrate the rebranding with one of favorite Director’s on Thursday.”

Kara did a fist pump and then it hit her, “Only one of your favorites?”

Lena just laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, hope everyone is staying safe, sorry this chapter wasn't particularly long, but what can you do? I wasn't originally going to have a chapter about this, but I felt this was a good way to establish there relationship in this fic as opposed to their relationship at this point in the show. Anyway, leave a comment, leave a critique, or just let me know what you think.


	3. Sleepy Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing happens in a meeting

She was sitting in front of Jess again. A lot has changed in the past 2 years, they had finally rebranded, Lena had permanently moved to her new office in National City and Jess no longer intimidated her.

Ok so that was a lie, she was still scared of Jess, but at least now Jess respects her.

Although Kara believes that has less to do with her exemplary work and everything to do with how Kara fights for Lena in every meeting she was part of.

Considering Kara is a director, it was a surprisingly large amount of meetings.

(She has no idea how she is supposed to get any real work done if she wasn’t Kryptonian. Between managing her own department, her department's work contingent with the rest of the company, managing the rest of director’s expectations, prepping for meetings, helping prep Lena for meetings, she wasn’t sure when she was supposed to actually be doing the science that made L-Corp the forefront of the industry.) 

But if Jess was Lena’s shield, standing firm at Lena’s door and guarding her messages and schedules, then Kara was Lena’s sword, slashing down bad ideas meant to weaken Lena’s position with better more sustainable ones backed by technology and science she had created for Lena.

Sometimes with Lena.

No surprise to Kara, but a great surprise to everyone else in the business, Kara was turning out to be their most profitable resource.

She was what kept L-Corp ahead of its competitors and on the right side of the press. Even managing to get a quote about L-Corp and Lena’s leadership from the elusive Superwoman.

(So she was lectured for weeks about that by Alex, it wasn’t even the most supportive quote, just that L-Corp was at the forefront of environmentally safe practices and Lena was a leader in the field. Just the facts. 

It made Lena smile for three days straight and Kara couldn’t bring herself to regret it even for a second.)

As Kara went through the slides on her tablet, she also focused on the buzz of speaking coming through Lena’s door.

She spotted an error on her slide regarding which chemicals it was possible for them to clean up immediately using their genetically modified phytoremediation plants, the current dandelion they created was quite efficient for cadmium and uranium, but didn’t filter mercury well enough to be on this slide.

So she wasn’t really listening into the conversation, and Jess will let her in when Lena was ready, but Kara found it a helpful way to keep on top of Lena’s moods.

Jess’s behavior was another way.

Today she was tense and tired. Her shoulders have fallen forward as she typed and there were bags noticeable under her eyes, even under a layer of concealer, but she was focused and not giving Kara the stink eye.

Even sipping the coffee Kara had left on her desk.

She heard Lena say goodbye to an international investor, then waited a few seconds and heard Lena tell Jess into the intercom that she was done.

Kara continued to look down at her tablet like nothing happened.

“Miss Luthor is ready for you,” Jess informed her without even looking up from the spreadsheet she was working on.

Kara stood up and headed to the door, “Thanks Jess.”

“Mhmm.”

Inside Lena was bent over some papers, “Just give me a minute Kara, I wanted to finish reading through this as it might be relevant to our conversation and thought you might be more comfortable on the couch,” she mumbled not really paying attention.

Kara sat down on the couch and opened her tablet again knowing it will take more than a minute.

Once very early on in Kara’s position, when they were laughing over blueprints for the new tower in National City Kara had admitted to Lena that she was a bit intimidated by Jess.

Red and giggly from the wine, that was apparently all it took for Lena to explode into laughter. For a few days Kara had avoided Lena, embarrassed by her admission and Lena’s laughter and prayed Lena had forgotten. Those few days turned into a few weeks and a few meetings with Lena and construction crews without mention and Kara’s praying turned to hope.

A few months later when Kara went to meet with Lena in her office for a private meeting for the first time since she was hired Kara had forgotten herself, she didn’t even blink when she was let in while Lena was on the phone, until of course Lena got off the phone and explained she didn’t want Kara to wait with the big ol’ scary Jess.

As much as Kara wanted to say she wasn’t amused they both got a laugh out of it and it was a good joke, a good ice breaker.

But Lena still always called her into the office even if she wasn’t quite done with whatever she was working on and had Kara wait on the couch.

After twenty minutes had gone by trying to get a new highscore on a game Winn built, she looked up and realized Lena was asleep on the desk.

Mouth open, head resting on her hands, and Kara was shocked she didn’t notice the change in breathing.

She looked peaceful, her forehead lacked the lines it usually had and her hair was slightly falling out of her ponytail and not perfectly in place.

Relaxed. 

Lena never looked relaxed.

On one hand this was an important meeting where she needed Lena’s input and approval. If not done now it would just be moved to another time of Lena’s filled schedule.

On the other hand she knew that between rebranding, attacks on her person, investors pulling out, new investors pulling in, Lena was barely getting any sleep. 

Kara got emails from her at all hours of the night and sometimes even heard Lena on call at 3 am from a security check in the lab yet still in an afternoon meeting that very same day.

It wasn’t sustainable.

Lena took extensive notes and that would have to be enough.

Since she made the decision that Lena needed the rest, Kara didn’t want to wake her up, but she had a blanket and pillow downstairs for when her team members stayed extra late to work, so Kara carefully left the office to grab them.

She told Jess that she had forgotten something downstairs, and Jess gave her an expression that read hurry.

It took her seven minutes to get to the labs, and get back upstairs, and by the time she got back into the office she was relieved that Lena hadn’t moved.

Gently lifting Lena’s head she moved the papers Lena was meant to be reading and put down a pillow instead. Then she spread the blanket over Lena’s shoulders like a cape, and went back to the couch to read the papers Lena was working on.

Mostly it was numbers, budgeting and contracts that didn’t really apply to Kara, but Kara did notice a group of applications that were prepared for her viewing as well as a few budgets in reference to her projects.

There was also a new government contract for the phytoremediation project that had highlights and notes all over it.

A quick scan was disheartening. The contract was still profitable, very profitable, but not enough that Lena will want to take the time and resources to work with the government to do so, especially not over a research project that is more bio than tech oriented.

Kara sighed but giving the contract another read through, no slides she has in this meeting would probably convince Lena that this is a worthwhile L-Corp project.

But... Kara sat down and went through the L-Corp subsidiaries, instead of completely selling it off she can prepare an argument to move some of it to the GreenClean group. Or maybe the Leaftech group was a better fit for it?

She needed to email them before drafting an argument for Lena.

Speaking of, she decided to check on Lena. Luckily, Lena was still napping, occasionally exhaling loudly enough through her nose that it almost sounded like a snore.

Or maybe it was a snore. She should probably do some research on that. She remembered reading somewhere that humans who snore can be at risk for certain diseases and since as far Kara knows Lena sleeps alone and therefore Lena would be unaware of the danger she might be in for sleep apnea. 

Yes she needed to do research on what constitutes a snore, make Lena sleep more, and then find out if Lena snores.

Unless that would be creepy.

She shifted gears and looked at the resumes for the lab Lena prepared. They were interns, not something Kara or even Lena would normally look at, but it was from some investor and member of the board, between the two Kara circled the name Leslie since they had more lab experience but added a post note reading “it doesn’t matter”.

It was an internship, HR hasn’t finished carefully curating a new internship program so more time will be thought of thinking up work that a highschooler can do that wont touch anything sensitive.

This was more about making someone happy so Lena’s job would be easier than about the kids themselves.

It was something Lena felt passionate about improving (good for our image, our future, and our community if done right), but wasn't a high priority. 

Finally the budgeting for her projects, certain things she could move around, there were also a few projects they could start marketing that will bring in some profit. While the research into the most effective fake skins could be cut into their current top two.

They could also sell off the patent for the hydro powered cell, they didn’t actually have a use for it since there was no reason for them to switch smartphones to hydro power at the moment. On the other hand there was a large firm in Dubai that might be interested in the design behind it for their cars.

This was obviously something they would have to go over together to decide the details on and what to prioritize, but for now...

She typed up a report of everything she had changed, the reasons for her changes, options Lena had, and anything else they might have gone over in the meeting so Lena could look it over later and they could have a shorter phone call in the evening.

The meeting was supposed to end in five minutes so Kara sent over the info and brought the pile of papers back to Lena’s desk neatly organizing things in piles around Lena and leaving small post-it notes with apologies and smiley faces.

She took a few seconds to look at Lena. Carefully she pushed some errant strands of hair behind Lena’s ears.

After a second of lingering she pulled her hand back slowly. 

Could this action also be considered weird?

She should check on that and the snoring. Or at least she made a mental note about checking it and another mental note to talk to Lena about hiring another person in the executive suite as she packed her things and got ready to head back to the lab.

Jess will probably check in with Lena after Lena doesn’t ask for a coffee in twenty minutes. But that meant that Lena would have more than an hour nap.

After work Kara would sneak some fruits and granola bars into her office like she usually did every other day.

She was just worried about her boss.

Lena was nice and rarely took care of herself, and Kara loved her job. So she needed to take care of Lena.

At least that’s what she told herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that nothing happens in this chapter I initially wasn't even going to add it, this was originally the chapter I had in place for the previous chapter meant to set up a friendly but not too close relationship between them and what their jobs where, but then I kept editing it and figured why not add it, seemed a waste to just leave it in my notes. The next chapter is much longer and more exciting and finally Winn and Alex make an appearance and it's about corporate espionage. Sorry it took a while to release, there is a lot going on right now and you would think I might have more time with my hours cut but I don't. I'm going to put my other fic on hiatus, I want to finish but I'm having difficulty writing chapters for it and don't want to continue writing sub par material. Stay safe everyone!
> 
> Also does anyone know what L-Corp actually produces, I know Luthor Corp had government and military weapons contracts (not limited to US) and Lena wanted to alien detection devices on the market, also she had contracts with steel mills that she changed the contracts with nth metal mills. But what is their main market, what is there biggest product, are they B2B or B2C or both. The Luthor's are also in real estate but that isn't L-Corp. Does anyone know? I know Lena has a bunch of personal projects that she uses L-Corp resources for, but I don't know if those are ever meant to be sold.


	4. Corporate Espionage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corporate Espionage including Winn, Kara, and Lucy in the background.

The scent of cologne, alcohol, and business deals was particularly hard to deal with in the mornings, especially mixed in with the smell of cheap coffee that waifed around the upper floors.

It was something that she normally avoided, it was something that she managed not to get used to spending most of her time in the lab. 

There was nothing particularly unusual about Kara leaving the labs, as a director she had plenty of responsibilities that brought her upstairs. But she rarely bothered with a blazer, just as rarely as she actually used her upstairs office.

In other words only when she had meetings with people that shouldn’t be down in the labs.

Which was why she felt so ridiculously uncomfortable in her own skin today as she straightened her blazer for the third time on her walk through the hallway feeling as though every single person was aware of the little trick she pulled

Of what their plan was.

“Are you in the break room yet, what’s taking you so long?” She grimaced and adjusted her earring hoping it sent feedback to Winn before grinning at the women that passed her by and gripping her bag more tightly. 

They were on-

She was currently on the 73rd floor. Winn was set up in her office at the moment, on the 72nd floor, enjoying the sunshine from her window and eating her snacks waiting for her to retrieve a cellphone.

But Winn was currently providing backup through the high tech earring they borrowed from Alex.

She was on the 73rd floor because some force, some super, inhumane, alien force had somehow broken the coffee machine on the 72nd floor and how was anyone supposed to work without coffee?

_ It wasn’t felony property damage if it wasn’t worth $500 and arguably that coffee machine was so bad and old it wasn’t worth any money. She double checked with Lucy for any updates to the law and at most the person that destroyed the coffee machine would get a misdemeanor for vandalism. If and only if Lena’s lawyers decided to press charges. And that seemed like a lot of unnecessary effort over a crappy coffee machine. Especially since they were about to be very busy with something else entirely. But why would she bother when Kara had already decided to buy a newer and better coffee machine. Just because. Not that Kara had anything to do with the destruction of the current... _

Of course she could go downstairs, but everyone knew that the 73rd floor was where most of the board including the chairman of the board had their offices so they had the best coffee machines.

People on the board like Frederick McCoy. Old men who came in three times a week because they were old fashioned and liked having secretaries, feeling important, misusing property funds and thinking of ways of getting rid of Lena. 

Kara was ashamed to admit she only found out about the last part because of Lena.

Because Lena was so stressed out she came down to vent her worries in the labs.

Or Kara discovered Lena wrecking her whiteboard in the lab office. 

Actually, Kara’s been worried for quite a while before that but wasn’t sure what was going on. The rumor mill at the newly minted L-Corp traveled fast, and Lena had just gotten well and truly settled in the National City office so people liked to talk about her.

(You don’t have a home if you’re living out of a hotel and still fly back to the metropolis and international branches every few weeks.)

Normally Lena did her best to project herself as calm, cool, in control, and polite if not kind, but there had been moments where people were saying that Lena had been acting irritable.

Not to mention that Kara even noticed the unhealthy snacks that she hid around Lena’s office whenever she came up, had been disappearing.

If there was something Kara learned, Lena took her lunches healthy, her coffee black, and her life in control.

So when Kara could hear Lena blowing up her tech, throwing markers at her whiteboard, and muttering in colorful language from the hallway three weeks ago, she turned around and got two cups of coffee.

One black with no milk, one which was half milk and had six packs of sugar and also topped off with creamer.

(So sue her, caffeine had no effect on her system, coffee tasted bad, but for some reason adults who drank coffee garnered more respect than those that didn’t and Kara needed as much respect as she could get.)

Then she walked back to her lab where Lena was aggressively telling the whiteboard that it was moronic and needed to pull it’s… crap… together.

Leaning on the door Kara decided to figure out what the whiteboard did to offend her so badly. To her surprise the equations for the large scale water purification system were wiped off and instead were replaced with what looked like… a programming sequence meant to steal and destroy information?

Programming was never her favorite, they had evolved past the need for programming languages on Krypton and had been a pain to learn something so primitive for Earth. 

She excelled of course, she just hated the need for it.

Kara cleared her throat. Lena jumped.

“Jesus Kara, don’t scare me like that,” Lena had her hand over her heart and glared at her.

“Sorry,” she winced, “Coffee?” She offered the cup that had the purely black coffee in it, Lena took it, but watched Kara suspiciously, “I just thought you might need a pick me up before you hack and destroy someone?”

Choking, Lena set down the cup on Kara’s desk.

Kara backtracked, “Not that I think you’re trying to hack or destroy someone? Or even do anything illegal. Because you are entirely legitimate and are a good person and don’t do illegal things?”

“I’m not trying to hack anyone, someone has been hacking me.” Lena explained. Giving her a moment Kara waited for further explanation, but Lena just sipped her coffee and stared at the board.

Well at least that explains the anger, and the broken prototype on Kara’s desk that was most certainly not from her department. Kara assumed it was someone on the board, probably a chairman. Half the board still believed in Lex’s vision, the other half just hated Lena on principal. 

“So you erased what could’ve been extremely important information on my whiteboard?” pushing Lena to talk about something she doesn’t want too seemed like a bad idea, Lena was still her boss.

“Please, I know you have either a photographic or eidetic memory. I’ve seen you work Kara, in fact I’d be shocked if you haven’t already solved the problem and just hadn’t erased your board yet,” she paused slamming her cup down, “It takes you 45 minutes tops to solve a problem that should take weeks if not months of work and only because you’re picky about the markers and want the white board to be pretty.”

Lena gave her a pointed look.

“Please don’t exaggerate, that would be insane, if it just took me 45 minutes,” she weakly argued, “I’d have to be some sort of super human, well not super because I’m not super, I’m super normal, I mean an ordinary type of normal, but also a genius,” she stops to take a deep breathe before she says anything super dumb and settles on, “I’m an ordinary genius?”

Lena hums and squints over her mug, “I’m not sure how much of an exaggeration that is, you really do spend a ridiculous amount of time picking out markers than doing anything else.”

It actually takes her way more than 45 minutes, that was an exaggeration. For a small section she might take a few hours instead of a few weeks or months like most people.

Luckily she was terrible at the general paperwork that came with running a department and while she wasn’t bad at running the department, human skills were something that she actually had to spend time on so most people didn’t notice that she ran the math and did science far too quickly for earthly standards.

Honestly most of her time was actually spent figuring out how to solve things in a way that will make sense for her fellow teammates. 

Yeah, she could probably be more careful about solving things too quickly, but once she comes to a solution she doesn’t want to forget the way she presents the solution. 

Math wasn't nearly as universal a language as humans considered it. 

She had long since learned to adjust to earth standards and earth practices, but even when solving with the limited Earth science, which is a puzzle on it’s own, her train of thought is often considered confusing.

And ok, a messy workplace shows a messy mind, so what if she wants her board to look nice? There is an order to things that should be followed, a logic that is required that translates to neatness, and in some spheres even can extend to a minimalist aesthetic that is art dictated by science. This is something that’s also taught to an extent on Earth.

Many mathematicians love music for that reason, fractals are considered the height of beauty and design.

There is also psychology behind colors dictating memory and learning. 

Everyone is either always so drab and serious, or brings a bunch of ridiculous toys, she can have an aesthetic too dammit.

Instead of replying she went to go sit on her desk right next to the spot Lena was leaning on. Lena watched her sit down nibbling on her bottom lip and playing with the coffee cup she picked up again.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have invaded your space and touched your things, that’s was an asshole boss thing to do,” Lena looked back down at the cup, “Also, thank you for the coffee, and all the snacks you bring me, I know it’s you who leaves them on my desk.”

Kara hid a relieved smile behind her own cup. She was worried that Lena wasn’t taking care of herself enough, as the first one in the building and last one out. But she was also worried about overstepping. Maybe she could drop off the snuggie she bought for Lena in custom L-Corp branding that hasn’t been released.

She wants Lena to maintain professionalism of course.

“Do you want to tell me what’s really wrong, or do you want help with the coding? We should probably call Winn if you want help with the coding, you’re quite good at it, and I’m adequate so I probably wouldn’t be much help,” Kara had suggested Winn as a hire for a reason, and while maybe he wasn’t the same brilliant as Lena he was a genius in his own right.

“No it’s,” she straightened her spine and raised her head, slowly turning back into CEO Lena Luthor, “It’s simply the board as usual. They don’t think I’m fit to run the company and are looking for ways to run me out,” she sipped the coffee, “not that I'd let them.”

“Not that any of us would let them,” Kara added quietly but firmly. Looking at Lena to make sure she understood.

Lena was chewing her lipstick and blankly staring at the whiteboard so Kara pressed on.

“You’ve done remarkable things,” Kara straightened out so she could stand closer to Lena, “Remember when you hired me, remember my one stipulation?”

Lena nodded her hands moving up to her face, she gave a small smile, “You were so scared of me except the two times during our first few meetings.”

Kara’s face burned at that but she pressed on, “And I’m still here, I told you I would leave if I felt that you were doing the slightest wrong thing. And I’m still here because you are the best CEO, the company is moving forward successfully, making profit all while being good.”

“Not that that’s the only reason that I…” Kara tried to make it sound better.

Lena looked down and gave a real smile. She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Finally she looked up at Kara and said, “I should go back up and face reality,” she went to the door only turning around once more to say “Thank you for the coffee, I really needed it.”

Kara gave her best to give Lena a blinding smile as she left before focusing on the whiteboard in front of her.

Since then she had corralled Winn and even managed to borrow Lucy on a “Consultation” to make this work.

_ Why exactly do you need Lucy, Kara? I know you have fancy ass lawyers from L-Corp, just promise me you didn’t do anything stupid. Promise me Winn didn’t manage to get you to do something so stupid that you don’t want L-Corp lawyers to know about.  _

_ No, pssshhh, just wanted her to look over some documents and.... consult?  _

It took a few weeks of Kara actually going upstairs into her office so she can watch the members of the board and listen in, it took Winn installing some microphones.

It took some extra small talk with Jess (and bribery with snacks, coffee, scheduling, and paperwork) to find out which members of the board had the most regular schedules and who was giving Lena the biggest headaches.

Now all she had to do was run into McCoy on his way to his 3:10 coffee break.

Speaking of, she looked down and kept walking exactly in the middle of the hallway and in seconds she felt a light bump.

“I’m so terribly sorry for running into you.” The old man was on his butt and for a second she was concerned that she did some real damage. What felt like a light bump to her could feel like a head on collision with a car for a normal person.

This was a fragile old man so for a second she was afraid she may have miscalculated.

Even after she heard him mutter “bitch” under his breath.

But lowering her glasses assured her that his bones were perfectly intact. 

She handed McCoy the bag she was carrying and grabbed his before pulling him up and, “I’m just so terribly clumsy, I need to pay more attention to where I’m going,” She brushed his navy suit off once more before apologizing again and hustling towards the elevators, no point in giving him a chance to think let alone reply.

Especially when they needed 7 minutes with his phone.

She hit the button and started tapping her foot, he was an old man, it would take him a while to notice that his bag was replaced.

But… 

She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator to arrive.

But this part made her nervous.

She entered the elevator with a few people she recognized, but luckily didn’t know well enough for small talk.

The second she got out of the elevator she sped into her office ignoring the limits of “human”.

“Hello, Oh, oh wow, ok,” was all Winn could say as he watched Kara supersped looking for the phone then hooking it to Winn’s laptop and pulling Winn in front of the computer.

“Wow his code was 1234,” Kara would reply but he was already in the ‘zone’.

“Keep tapping like that and you’ll have to explain a hole in the floor to Lena,” Winn muttered under his breath, Kara looked down and she noticed that a bit of the carpet already wore away, whoops.

Instead she closed her eyes and leaned against her window to bask in the sunlight, the only real perk of this office.

“This is great, this is better than great.” Winn said sliding back to give her space to look.

This was brilliant. They had complete control of the phone remotely. Which was their plan but there were no promises that they would get any information they needed, especially not immediately. But there was already an email chain.

All they had to do was the next time McCoy started writing an email including Steele, Anderson, and a few other employees that were incriminating, they would hijack and send it to the entire company instead of just the group doing plotting.

It turned out the next email was about embezzlement.

Well technically it was about using some funds from a project meant to support the Luthor Hospital that was put on hold due to changes in FDA regulations. But they spoke about routing the funds into project 26A.

And 26A isn’t an actual project so much as an amalgamation of accounts and funds belonging to certain people on the board.

Which actually worked better than the email they were planning on hijacking about overthrowing Lena.

More legal legroom. As explained by an exasperated Lucy.

She scrolled for a few more seconds, then raised her hand to Winn who hit it, “All we do is Winn, baby!”

She rolled her eyes but let him finish up and scanned the building for McCoy.

Except, she couldn’t see McCoy in the building.

“Uh Winn, where did McCoy go?”

Winn was disconnecting the phone from the laptop, “I don’t know, wasn’t that your job to keep track of him?”

Kara scanned the building again, “Umm, no my job was to give you the phone and then return the bag to him.”

“Then isn’t the assumption that you are keeping track of him so you can return the phone?” Winn’s voice was starting to reach a higher pitch.

Kara raised her arms then grabbed Winn who had stood up and started to frantically move things around the desk, “What are you doing?” he opened his mouth but she cut him off, “Don’t panic, you’re still connected to his phone right? He has a secretary, his secretary definitely keeps an online calendar for him, maybe his calendar has something.”

Winn shut his mouth and sat back down, “Good idea.”

Since Winn was typing, Kara checked that everything was replaced in the bag and left to the roof, she took the stairs since they didn’t have any working camera’s this high up and sped her way up.

Luckily there was roof access on this building, for all of Lena’s hatred of flying, she did have a helicopter which means she had a helipad.

He was an old man he couldn’t have gotten very far.

Even with a driver.

It would take him a while to get to the ground floor. In addition to city traffic- 

He couldn’t have gotten far. 

She scanned the neighboring streets looking for him.

“Where’d you go, actually it doesn’t matter, his schedule says that he has an appointment with B.C.D. at R&R, does that mean anything to you?”

“Not B.C.D. but,” she looked over at financial district, yes there he was, “R&R is Roco and Ransom, a restaurant club place for rich people that you need a membership for.”

“You’re rich?”

“Not really, not that rich,” she folded her glasses into her shirt pocket, “Give me a few minutes.”

But she pushed off the building and flew to the alley behind the club, inspecting the building as she landed.

Gosh darnit.

Even if she broke the back handle and walked in she wouldn’t pass off as a patron, they were all either dressed like stunning millionaires who didn’t know how rich they were like Lena or actively dressed to impress.

Besides the bag was in the coat rack, and workers had a uniform and people no longer went out for smoke breaks. Curse the healthier habits of modernity. She’ll just have to sneak.

She can be sneaky.

Scanning the building she realized this back hallway connected to the exit to the alleyway was fairly empty except for a few waiters rushing back and forth.

So she waited a few seconds for a waiter to walk across the hall with some plates. Once he passed the door she pulled her sleeve up to cover her hand and broke the door knob.

She flinched when it cracked, but the waiter continued going forward. Another waiter this one holding food, followed by a woman holding a box cutlery was walking the opposite way.

Checking both ends of the building, she waited as they passed the door to carefully push the door open, and quietly shut it behind herself.

Following them was simple, they were busy people that were focused on a task, as long as she didn’t do anything stupid like run into them or a wall she should be fine.

The waiter turned off but the woman kept heading forward.

Which was a problem because there was someone exiting the a doorway into the hall up ahead and she still had ten steps to go before reaching the door to the coat room.

If you act like you're supposed to be there people assume you're supposed to be there, Alex had once told her when they were talking about using DEO credentials.

So she raised her head, walked with purpose and didn’t make contact as this new person walked by.

And… She reached the door and slowly opened it slipping in and ducking down.

The person manning the coat rack was facing away from her, talking to someone so she focused on crawling behind the coats, the bags were in the back anyway.

The second she reached a wall she sat up against it and went to roll her skirt up. Except-

-she can fly.

Exhaling she floated up a foot off the ground and looked over to where the man was, he was ducking under the counter but made no motions to head towards the racks so she flew to that dang brown leather bag.

Quickly replacing the bag and the tags, she flew back towards the door and carefully landed. 

Slowly turning the knob she was about to slip through the door when she heard a voice call from behind her, “Hey who are you? You’re not supposed to be here”

There were many appropriate reactions. Turning around and explaining that she was a lost patron and can he help her find the bathroom? Telling him that she knows, obviously that’s why she’s going. Paying him off. Ignoring him and leaving, chances were the underpaid coat rack guy wasn’t going to chase her down. 

Instead she chose panicking as she sped around the door and broke the handle so the door was jammed and ran through the hallway at top speed and broke the back entrance door to escape shooting up into the stratosphere like some sort of crazed cat strapped to a rocket.

She heard a stack of plates shatter and scattering cutlery, not to mention the yells of confusion from the unbalanced staff that didn’t know what hit them as she made her escape.

Desperately wishing she could keep flying past the mesosphere into the exosphere where she would float off into space,  _ what was another 46 years floating in the endless black _ ?. 

She flew fast enough that she’d be back in L-Corp in a few seconds but slow enough not to break windows or set off alarms.

Anymore alarms at least.

“Hey what’s going on, why are you so high up?” Winn’s voice was staticky over the comms.

“Nothing.” She answered, feeling flustered, “Just getting air, it’s so nice high up and away from the city. Anyway, I got the bag.”

Kara was ready to keep this little adventure private. No need to give Winn or Alex or anyone she knows for that matter any additional blackmail or mockery material. 

She flew back to L-Corp and walked back to her desk where she saw Winn packing up. He gave her a look.

“You seem,” he looked her up and down and smiled, “wind blown, something you want to share, I heard a yelling on the comms.”

“No,” she gave a pointed look and started fixing her hair, “I’m going to go to lunch now, want me to grab you anything?”

He shook his head, “Nah, but I’m going to head downstairs, as nice as your view is.”

Winn wistfully looked out the window and dramatically sighed.

She shook her head and went to the break room. She had sushi delivered an hour ago and while personally didn’t feel one way or another about sushi, Lena loved it as long as it didn’t have salmon.

Grabbing the bag she nodded to one of the VPs she liked and stuck out her tongue on a VP she knew was part of the plot against Lena.

She skipped to Lena’s office and stopped by Jess’s desk.

“I don’t believe you have a meeting,” Jess gave her a look.

But Kara was a pro by now, “I’m just bringing her lunch,” then she put a coffee down in front of Jess, “and bringing you coffee, c’mon, we both know she won’t eat otherwise.”

“She nibbles on the snacks you leave at her desk,” Jess considered her coffee.

Kara gave her the perfect innocent look, “I don’t know what you’re talking about but I got her sushi and kombucha.”

Jess sighed and waved her in, “You have thirty minutes.”

Whispering a “yes” under her breath Kara peaked her head in while knocking on the door. 

Lena looked up and smiled, “Kara what can I do for you?”

Kara held up the bag she had with the Masa Sushi logo. 

Lena sauntered over and grabbed the bag, doing a dance with her shoulders, “Kara have I ever told you how much I appreciate you coming to work for me?”

“Only every time you see me.”

\----Bonus----

“Kara, would you like to explain why Roco and Ransom experienced a metahuman incident with a pretty blonde woman today?”

“No?”

“How about why I have a very high tech set of earrings missing from my apartment?”

“Noooo?”

“Or why you needed to borrow Lucy?”

“Nope.”

“Fine, then for tonight’s sister’s night we’re watching  _ Silence of the Lambs _ .”

“Nooo, how about I return the earrings and we watch Homeland.”

“WERE YOU NOT PLANNING ON GIVING THEM BACK???”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting to write this chapter, awww yeah, I love writing action and thriller scenes. Mid-chapter, I love writing fight scenes and fight scenes only, I have no idea how to make this interesting or how to even build tension. Also people calling math the universal language is a pet peeve of mind because just because that's the way we learned to process the universe and we build our machines to process the universe doesn't mean if aliens exist they haven't found a different system. This happens so often in science where scientists put up an imaginary limiter because humans are a certain way. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this mess that somehow managed to be over 4000 words, I desperately wanted to include the fully fleshed out version of the Alex and Kara bonus argument in this chapter but it was already so long. And yes I'm aware Kara breaks things all the time and probably wouldn't stress it but she was nervous and under a lot of stress and I had already spent three hours looking up property laws. To all the people who commented on the last chapter, you guys are the best! It might take me some time to getting to your comments but I love reading them, so please comment to tell me your thoughts, critiques, or just general rambles. Also image inducers, we forgot L-Corp made image inducers.


	5. The Device

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara get's a little heartbroken, Lena needs to adjust her worldview. Everything turns out ok.

It was an ordinary Tuesday.

She had basked in the red glow of the sunrise to see the visage of the city through the light of Rao.

It wasn’t Rao, it was Sol, she knows, it was blasphemous to suggest otherwise. But for a few seconds, she was allowed to pretend.

Then she lounged in the invigorating rays that Sol gave her until she felt her skin buzz with potential energy. Sunbathing was all the caffeine she needed.

She is grateful, _she is_.

That's why she likes to start her morning happy and with optimism. 

It was a nice morning, sunny, happy and Lena had invited her up. Had wanted to show her something _cool_. 

Spending time with Lena was always nice.

Spending time with Lena was _usually_ nice.

“This isn’t your department but,” Lena smirked opening a box and placing what seemed to be a fingerprint scanner in front of her, “An alien detection device.”

Lena bit her bottom lip and wiggled in her seat as though she couldn’t wait for Kara’s reaction.

And Kara… her heart stopped, smile frozen on her face. 

She thought, she thought, “I thought you were for the alien amnesty?”

Lena furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, “I am, but if people want to know who among them is alien then they have the right, this is a country of humans,” she continued defensively, “This product will make us billions.”

How did she not know about this? Most products had to be green-lighted by her. Most had to be built by her.

Or at least parts of everything went through one re-design or one look-through.

How did she miss this?

She uncrossed her arms and pushed the device forward, “Just try it Kara, it gives green for humans like you and me.”

There were so many things she could say to try and change Lena’s mind.

She could fry the wires and explain to Lena why it’s wrong.

But in the end, would anything change if Lena doesn’t trust her for who she is?

Suddenly she felt drained, as though she hadn’t spent the morning in the sun. As though she wasn’t standing in the sun right now. 

Although maybe if it wasn’t a sunny day she wouldn’t have had the strength, the courage to press her thumb against the device.

Because under Sol, it was so hard to truly hurt her.

“See it’s… Red?,” she stared at the device in shock and confusion, “Wait.”

Lena started to take the device apart, as though the device made the mistake.

Not Lena.

Not Kara.

Kara pushed herself out of her seat.

They had a deal.

“I won’t come in tomorrow, you don’t need to worry about calling security,” she gave Lena who looked paralyzed by the shock a small smile.

She grabbed her bag and left without turning around or looking up.

She didn’t want to put Lena on the spot.

She didn’t want to put herself on the spot.

It was an ordinary business meeting with two colleagues just fulfilling the ends of each other's bargains. Kara did her job, and it was time for her to move on.

It hurt, but Alex was right.

She’ll ask Winn to collect her personal stuff. 

It’s not as if she’ll have trouble finding a job.

It’s not as though they were really friends.

So why…

She clenched her fists and slid down the wall of L-Corp letting the shade of alley swallow her.

So why did it hurt…

Tears built at the edges of her eyes.

So much?

\-------------------------

BenandJerry was good for all sorts of broken hearts Kara realized as she cried into her ice cream. 

Well she stopped crying three movies ago and was curled up eating some good half baked ice cream.

She wanted to be curled up with her sister, but wasn’t ready to face the I told you so just yet. 

Also she needed to actually process that she no longer had a job. 

Even though this was always a possibility, one of the reasons Kara liked L-Corp because it was a permanent place for her to move and grow. Like a guild.

Maybe within the guilds there were similar problems. Maybe they were just inescapable and you would be trapped forever in a place that doesn’t understand you, that doesn’t listen.

Maybe not. It didn’t matter, there were no guilds, no Krypton, no noble house of El, no Dr. Kara Danvers, Director of Science and Technology at L-Corp changing the world. 

And now she was tether-less again, just Kara, unrepresentative of anything. 

Alone in the world.

Another sob was building in the back of her throat.

She was ready to call Alex.

There was a knock on her door.

Slightly confused and upset at the interruption of her pity party, Kara lowered her glasses to check the door.

Lo and behold it was Lena, fidgeting, wringing her hands, tapping her foot.

Opening the door would mean confronting Lena and that was something she wasn’t sure she was ready for.

Not opening the door would allow Kara to wallow in peace and move on without having to face anything Lena said or did that would make her feel worse.

But Lena also deserved the benefit of the doubt, after everything they’ve done together and everything she worked toward.

Opening the door it was.

Lena looked almost startled.

“Kara…” She sighed as though she couldn’t believe it, then shook her head and stammered out, “I mean, sorry, Dr. Danvers,” she said to the floor, “Please I meant to say, I’m sorry, Dr. Danvers for offending you, and hurting you, and,” Lena was shaking and Kara was lost. 

Lena hadn’t called her Dr. Danvers since.... She couldn’t even remember. But before Kara could voice any thoughts or even order her thoughts Lena continued.

“I’ll scrap the device, I’ll give you a pay raise, I’m not my brother,” She was holding onto the threshold and wouldn’t look at Kara, “Please come back, I’m sorry,” she added softly sounding broken, “I didn’t mean for you to feel unsafe. I promise I’ll fix it, just tell me how to fix it.”

Suddenly Kara realized how young Lena was and how she was still trying to escape the prejudiced ideas she was raised on.

How hard it can be to relearn entire world views.

To see the world in a yellow light.

“Oh Lena,” She wrapped Lena into a hug and pulled her inside.

“I’m sorry,” She whispered into Kara’s shoulder.

“It’s ok, we’re going to be ok.”

\----------------

Lena was wrapped in her constellation blanket, eating half baked with a spoon straight out of the pint on the other end of the couch from her.

And they were watching _Sound of Music_.

“Hey Kara,” Lena asked without her eyes leaving the screen, “You are going to come back tomorrow, right?”

And then Lena took a sharp intake of breath, “I didn’t mean to sound commanding. I know we talked about the device, and thinking of more positive uses for it, but you told me if you ever thought I was doing something wrong you would leave.”

They were watching Sound of Music together after a long and draining conversation about Kara being an alien, about how Lena screwed up with the device, about changing the technology for something positive.

And now Lena was dressed in some of her old pajamas watching _Sound of Music._

If they weren’t friends before, they were definitely friends now. 

Kara scooted a little closer and let her head fall on Lena’s shoulder.

“How about I change the specifics of our agreement,” she suggested, trying to watch the film instead of looking up at Lena, “Next time I think you’re in the wrong, we will sit down and talk about it. If you stand firm by your belief and continue, and I stand firm by mine that it crosses some sort of line, then I leave.”

She felt Lena shift closer into her and chanced a second to look at her. Lena was smiling.

“That sounds a little one-sided Dr. Danvers don’t you think? What would I get if I was in the right?”

Kara fell dramatically into Lena’s lap, “Beyond my wonderful company, a stimulating debate, and my continued employment at your discretion?” she pretended to think about it, “How about you get to come down to my lab and work on whatever you want, while I do some of your paperwork for you?”

Lena finally looked away from the movie and down at Kara.

“Deal.”

Today was a good day. 

Maybe on a great day…

No.

One day Kara will tell her about Krypton, one day Kara will tell her what it means to be an El, what it meant to be the youngest to enter the science guild.

One day Kara will tell her about Superwoman.

But tonight they were just going to be an alien and a human, enjoying ice cream together and watching movies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna admit, this is one of my favorite chapters of what I've written so far, this where they well and truly become friends and I wrote an end-note 3000 words long explaining why I thought contrary to episode's 100 opinion, that the true turning point in their relationship that defined their future relationship was the alien detection device. I left it out because this was far more lighthearted and that endnote was longer than the chapter, but I hated how they handled that episode in the show. Kara had three options, refuse, take the test, cheat the test, and I always felt she chose the worst option. Also canonically Lena never get's rid of the device, there conversation on it ends with Kara admitting to understanding Lena's views, although she believes in supporting aliens. I'm about to go off into my 3000 word rant on this so I'll stop here.
> 
> Let me know what you think, comments, critiques, arguments, thoughts, ideas, I love hearing and reading them all and kudos too of course. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Also fun fact, canonically Kara wakes up at 6:45, although in my fic she wakes up right before sunrise.


	6. DEO Agents and Older Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exploration of Kara's relationship to the DEO and some sister time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing on you guys...

Honestly, Kara hates the DEO.

It was moments like these when she understood her parents, when Astra’s rhetoric made sense, and hundreds of angry alien whispers penetrated into her mind and she understood why people hated the government and government operations.

“The local government is handling this situation and thinks that your help will be of better use elsewhere.” It was a deep baritone that informed her of this.

J’onn’s voice in her ear.

What a nice way to say she is unwanted here, that they need her to leave.

How nice of the DEO to inform her even though the DEO has no business here.

“Do you need help getting home Supergirl?” A different voice, regional accent, not from this village specifically, big city, probably government.

A threat, how laughable.

From a tiny government that was barely equipped to handle ordinary people with machetes.

She heard the frequency change, the DEO and the politician took their argument to a different line.

While they were arguing she could remove 10 bombs in the field. But floating closer to the field sets off an annoyingly high pitch in her ear with an annoyingly familiar voice, “Stand down Supergirl,” Agent Danvers ordered, “It’s time to go home.”

She loved Alex. Alex was her sister, her rock, her best friend and confidante. Alex was the annoying teenage girl who complained about sharing a room with her, but still explained toasters and popcorn late at night. Alex was the college girl who counted breaths for Kara in between her college courses, and who desperately needed alibi’s for Eliza.

She loved J’onn. He was not a father figure to her like he was to Alex, but she didn’t need any more fathers or mothers.

He too was a friend, a mentor in humanity and politics that understood her in ways very few could. She loved him because he protected Alex, saved her when Kara couldn’t, and was there for her when Kara and Eliza weren’t right, weren’t enough.

She understood the importance of the functions of the DEO. Superman and Supergirl shouldn’t be the only line of defense against aliens and the police force was wholly unprepared to deal with such issues and the military…

Well no one wants the military in their day to day.

To some extent she even worked with and supported the DEO .

But Alex and J’onn were different from Agent Danvers and Director Henshaw.

Agent Danvers and Director Henshaw were not the DEO. Understanding the reasons for actions did not make them justifiable, and her own dealings with the DEO is one of the reasons why she hates the DEO.

Simply because the DEO hated aliens. They employed aliens. Some on a tight leash because they were dangerous (like Kara), others because they wanted to share their knowledge and protect the Earth and didn’t know where else to go with it (Brainy).

There was no trial, there were no rights, there was no sentence associated with the DEO. Since it didn’t exist, since aliens were illegal and often did their best to seemingly not exist, there was also no one to fight for them.

Oddly it was J’onn who had told her that most aliens knew the risks they were taking when coming here, that ultimately they decided, death, tests, dissection, or a life sentence was better than where they came from.

Or at least they had a better chance of survival here than from where they came from.

At least they no longer did dissections or facility mandated executions. That was something left behind from the cadmus days.

Another reason she hated the DEO.

“Stand down Supergirl, it is time to go home,” Agent Danvers repeated over the comms.

Men and women just trying to survive regularly died due to old and new landmines around the village. Parents that needed to feed their starving children were forced to brave the field of explosives, children unaware where limits were, unused to signs regularly god exploded. 

“Come one Supergirl.”

Not to mention the harm it did to the local ecology. The animals that were exploded, the plants that were unable to grow due to the chemicals in the ground. The water that was tainted.

“Let’s go.”

It would take her a few hours to remove the landmines from the village and fields surrounding them.

There was a different frequency, the voice was softer in her ear, “I’m so sorry Kara, but more will die than just a village if you don’t leave now.”

Alex was right.

There was a girl looking at her. Dirty and small and skinny, not too skinny no, hungry like a normal child, her father had regularly braved the minefield. She clutched some dirty woven animal that looked liked it was regularly dragged around. Her father had used to brave the minefields, past tense. The child stared at her with big brown eyes. And Kara couldn’t stand to float here anymore.

Alex was right.

But it didn’t make her feel any better when she flew up, up, up, so high, so far, somewhere else.

Because this was the worst of humanity.

Corrupt governments that were willing to destroy the Earth over a few dollars.

Militias purposefully re-planting bombs in the ground where people live in retribution for small slights.

Starving people in places where plenty of food grows because there needs to be a group that is considered worst.

Things that she can easily fix, but is told not to.

\-------

She was late for work. It wasn’t a big deal. She sent a message ahead to the group to get started on the morning meeting without her. She very nearly took a sick day.

“You’re late.” Lena casually sipped her coffee in Kara’s office. It was unusual for Kara to be late, but Lena didn’t look angry, although she didn’t look particularly happy either peering over her coffee in her tight skirt. She hadn’t even shed her heels as she started to do in Kara’s office to more comfortably tinker. 

Kara just dropped her bag in the corner and started walking around her desk.

“I’m sorry, I had a rough morning,” she pushed some papers around a little thrown off with Lena’s presence, with the time, without her normal morning ritual, “I didn’t realize it was such a big deal that the CEO herself would come down.” She gave Lena a look, “Do I get a demerit?”

Lena rolled her eyes and scooted a little closer, “With that sass maybe I will give you one,” she broke into a smile then pursed her lips and raised her head, “I wanted to come down and complain to you about Johnson wasting my time, again, for the third day in the row, and lo and behold I get down and had to hear it from Tiffany Sanders that you weren’t feeling the best and were coming in late.”

That made Kara smile, Tiffany was a Junior Analyst in the Department that drove Lena nuts. As much as Lena said she was moving the company into the future and wanted to be treated the same way as the rest of the employees, she was raised with the idea of strict hierarchy in the company and Tiffany was young, fresh out of college, bottom of the food chain, and super informal with her and Kara.

And bold about it. 

Kara actually wasn’t sure if it was how friendly Tiffany was with her or Lena that actually annoyed Lena. Tiffany once mentioned that a blue shirt really brought out Kara’s eyes, and did wonders on her arms as she felt the material and Kara thought Lena might shatter her mug.

Lena had forced out a statement about professionalism through her teeth and later told Kara that if she needed to tell HR anything, anything at all Lena would be happy to make her an appointment.

It was a blatant over reaction. 

The only true downside to her now regular visits to the lab. 

“I’m sorry Tiffany knew something you didn’t.”

“Sorry doesn't cut it, I’m your boss and your friend, and now you have to tell me what’s wrong.”

Lena crossed her arms and looked away but could no longer keep a completely straight face.

But Kara’s mood dramatically fell.

All she could think about was that little girl clutching that dirty toy rabbit looking up at her as though she was some sort of god, as Kara floated there and did nothing.

How is she supposed to explain to Lena how worthless she feels.

How is she supposed to say that at this very second, humanity was disgusting to her.

What was she going to say? I’m upset about human customs and rules about circumstances outside of my control.

She didn’t even know how much Lena knew about this situation, wasn't sure how much she could say without Lena making the connection between Kara's alieness and Supergirl's actions.

Supergirl’s heroism wasn’t always written or recorded about like Superman, as Supergirl tended to handle more large scale international problems and environmental disasters which often had political and international tensions that required more discretion or just weren’t as “fun” for normal viewer to read about due to the complicated circumstances that surrounded it.

But Lena had a way of knowing about things that were sometimes under the rug, private, or even confidential due to political ties and business contacts.

Oddly Lena who didn’t like to assume, did generally assume that Kara knew things about Supergirl that a normal person wouldn’t know through her alien connections.

(Actually that was Kara’s fault, she had a hard time remembering what was common knowledge about Supergirl and what wasn’t and had once used the first excuse that popped into her head which turned out to be a combination of insider alien information and FBI sister.)

“Did you hear about the international situation Supergirl was trying to take care of last night?”

There was a few seconds of silence and some of Lena’s playful demeanor turned tense.

“Ah yes, I heard Supergirl was left very frustrated at the scene and American Officials spent a long time trying smooth the situation over,” she stood up from the desk and went to grab the earth stress ball Kara had on the shelf and tugging the blinds on window for Kara’s office, “Even though the entire situation was a blatant human rights violation and somebody should probably step in, but,” she glanced back at Kara, “the US doesn’t really have the best track record for _stepping in_ , they tend to screw things up and make things worse.”

Which was true, but also very frustrating.

“It’s hard to say what is the better step in this case. It requires a lot of nuance and Supergirl is a very American figure and the wrong step could start a war and a worse situation.”

She knows, she knows, she knows. It just so…

“Us humans must seem so frustrating and over complicated to you.” She felt Lena’s hand on her shoulder.

That’s why Lena closed the blinds. Lena never spoke about her alien heritage at L-Corp, or even indirectly referred to it. She must assume that it was something cultural that Kara wanted to get off her chest but Lena was standing there, looking at her so understanding and open willing to listen and learn to make Kara feel better and just so huggable.

But they were at work, and Lena wasn’t used to hugs, so instead she gently took Lena’s hand into hers and asked, “Do you think Supergirl did the right thing?”

Lena gave a far more relaxed smile, “Supergirl usually does the right thing,” and immediately fell back into her flirtier habits, “except when she forgets to do me.”

“LENA!”

\------

There wasn’t any news coverage of the event. Although even if there was it probably wouldn’t be on anymore as the time was already 11:30 pm.

Even though Lena had sufficiently distracted and embarrassed her in the morning (seeing Lena laugh with her tongue just barely sticking out between her teeth and dropping her voice to low timbre in the sexiest voice to say the stupidest things she can think of with Supergirl, _Once I get Supergirl in my arms, I'll eat her up like ice cream on a hot, sunny, day._

 _What does that even mean?_ ) But obviously Lena had to go back to work and so did Kara, and then Lena had to cancel lunch and leave Kara trapped alone with her thoughts.

So she threw herself into her work. At least then she could fix something, do something amazing for somebody. 

But now it was nearing midnight and she was staring at the tv waiting for someone to call out the way Supergirl handled the situation, to give a twisted version of events, to tell her how many died due to her inaction.

But nothing, not even a mention of her leaving the country.

“Kara open up, I’m holding chinese.” Alex yelled from behind the door.

She dropped her head back and sighed. She wasn’t in the mood for a lecture. But…

She got the door anyway. Because Chinese food. 

Also Alex was her sister and she loved her.

“Finally, thank you,” Alex told her with a pointed look before marching through her apartment to the kitchen, “For someone with superspeed you sure are slow.”

Rude. Kara waved her head around miming Alex’s voice and tone, “Thanks, but you’re just too slow, not even gonna wait till I’m invited in.”

She grabbed a box with lo mein and pulled the potstickers closer.

For a few minutes they ate silently while watching the news misrepresent a scientific study into the effects increased calcium on muscle growth to say milk makes you stronger and leaner.

“I’m sorry I know you don’t like that the DEO was there today and you thought you could handle the situation but--”

“This wasn’t related to the DEO in any way, this wasn’t alien, it wasn’t American, the DEO needs to learn to mind it’s own business.” Kara muttered cutting Alex off and pushing around her noodles.

Alex closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose, “The people didn't even want you there, the villagers had terrible experiances with foreigners coming in and thinking they know what's best for them, it's how they got into the mess in the first place, how do you think they would feel about an alien? Yeah they may have needed help but did they ask for yours? Did think for a second how it might look for the US for you to enter another country and just move bombs without anyone's permission?" Alex stopped and sighed, "I’m not going to argue about this right now you but I thought you might want to know that the village received a shipment of these cool new balls, that roll around a field purposefully triggering landmines, and two non-profits are going over there in Supergirl’s name to help out, and someone donated 3 million to the relief of that village and surrounding villages.”

“really?”

“Yeah and also created a huge pain in my ass around lunch time because certain billionaires have no idea how to do anything without alerting the FBI and looking extremely suspicious.”

Kara smiled, maybe she could forgive Lena for skipping lunch after all. She tackled her sister in a hug while Alex made a scramble to push off and get away.

“Thanks Alex.”

Giving up she scrunched her face up, “What are you thanking me for?”

“For keeping Lena out of trouble, for making sure the supplies get to the right place,” and probably facilitating the entire thing and getting in trouble with the actual FBI for interfering in global politics.

“Yeah well, tell her to be less shady, and I would never her the end of it from you if I let the FBI arrest her for moving a stupid amount of money to another country randomly, under the table without the proper shields.”

Maybe Alex was warming up to Lena. She went to give Alex another hug but Alex pushed her face away, “No more Kara, it’s too late for all this affection.”

Sticking her tongue out at Alex she stole a few potstickers off her plate instead resulting in a pillow food fight on the couch which ended in the two of them laying on the floor, giggling at two in the morning about the word noodles.

It was taking Kara a few more seconds to catch her breathe because nooo-dle-es. But Alex has been quiet enough for a little while.

“Hey Kara?”

“Mhmm?”

“I know you want to fix everything, but sometimes you got to let humans do their thing. We need to fix our own mistakes sometimes, you know? It's how we grow, it's how we innovate. You can't solve everything and we need to know how to handle things without your superhuman help."

“Yeah I know, but you gotta also let me be myself and make mistakes too, and help with things that I can. If I can do something why should others suffer, you know?” No reply, “Alex?”

There was a blatantly fake snore.

She threw another pillow at her sister. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing, it's been a bit stressful and I had bit of trouble. I know this isn't the best chapter and it isn't Kara/Lena focused, but I've wanted to do something exploring in Kara's relationship with the DEO, and also with her and Alex's relationship. Especially since Alex is both her sister and her boss and that can strain things. I also have a pet peeve about how easy they make heroing seem in movies, comics, and tv shows, I've worked in non-profits, helping people is hard, and there is so much politics involved, a lot of laws, and a lot of moving pieces. Plus governments and people that will actively make you giving their people help impossible because they don't want foreign entities involved or are profiting off the misery, or try to steal resources you provide for personal use. 
> 
> I've had this chapter planned for a long time, I'm not trying to distract from current events, but I also didn't want to remove it. The problem I describe in this chapter, is a big problem in laos, vietnam, and other war torn areas of the world. The Halo Trust is a non-profit you can check out if interested in learning more. Mines Advisory Group (MAG) is another great non-profit you can check out and learn more about the subject if interested, and Article 22 makes jewelry out of the bombs and donates money back the (MAG).


	7. Meaning of Director

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara realizing her what job as Director actually means.

Retirement parties often had bittersweet feelings to them. On one hand it was nice to see a person finally reach the end of the career and move forward with their life in another way. There was also cake and pizza and the department left the labs to enjoy the sunlight in the break room on one of the upper levels.

On the other hand it was often sad to see a person go. Especially if they had been at the organization a long time and were hard workers.

Or in Dr. Daniels case, doing the management and bureaucratic work of the position of Director that allowed Kara to spend time inventing and working in the labs.

Before Lena had hired her for the position, Dr. Daniels had actually been the Director of the department and when Kara was hired, she had learned he was demoted. It was something she feared would create tension.

It turned out that the old man was happy to be demoted into a managerial role. He was ready to retire. Modern science and technology had become difficult for him. It didn’t have an effect on his retirement package. He was happy to mentor Kara. Happy to take a step back from the day to day in the labs.

He liked mentoring the young scientist in the ways of the business world, managing the day to day, filling out paperwork, taking care of budgeting and reports, speaking to HR, arguing and sucking up to members of the board, all the things that Kara was supposed to be doing instead of experimenting in the labs.

She looked down at her slice of cake in the breakroom and felt tears build in her eyes. He pat her on the back, “It’s ok Danvers, you’re going to be just fine, managing people isn’t hard, although you need to do something about Ronnie, I’ve been putting it off.”

Covering her eyes she fought back tears. She didn’t want to deal with Ronnie, that musk rat of a human being, she didn’t want to deal with HR, she didn’t want to fire anyone.

“I’m just gonna miss you so much.”

She didn’t want to do anymore paperwork.

Maybe she could quit?

“There, there.”

What was the point of having so many resources if she just watched her team use them? She wanted to be the one creating and building. 

Too busy lamenting the fact she would be forced to do her job as Director, it took her a minute to realize that a hush fell over the room.

“I just came in to congratulate Dr. Daniels on his retirement, is everything ok with Dr. Danvers?” came from a familiar smooth and amused tone.

Uncovering her eyes she saw Lena standing with Dr. Daniels shaking his hand and Winn laughing nearby, “Yeah she just realized how much management she has to do and is now going through the stages of grief.”

She shot Winn a look that told him he was going to be in it for it later.

He raised his hands and backed up holding back a smile. 

“Really?” Lena came over to her and squeezed her bicep and quietly hissed, “Don’t you even dare think of quitting on me _Danvers_.”

“What was the point of hiring me if I don’t get to do any of the work?”

“I hired you so you can brilliantly manage the resources where they are supposed to go, guide and lead a team of scientists under your command, and think of great ideas, not for you to be the one stare at the microscope all day.”

“But that’s the fun part,” Kara whined.

Lena looked her in the eye, “Suck. It. Up.”

Well, she was complaining to the wrong person, considering Lena loved the lab just as much and hated paperwork just as much, but was stuck in the office all day trying to keep L-Corp running. 

But that didn’t stop Kara from widening her eyes and biting her lip as she held Lena’s stare. 

The effect was instantaneous, Lena’s expression was less harsh and her eyes filled with guilt, “Don’t Kara…” and she started wavering almost immediately, “this was why I hired you, we had this talk already, you knew this was coming,” until she looked away, “I’ll see if there is money to hire an executive assistant or promote one of ours into project manager roles.”

Kara grinned and put down her cake so she could squeeze Lena’s hands.

“But then you also have to travel to expos with me and take on a bigger role in representing the company.”

“Fine, whatever you say boss.”

Lena leveled her with another stare, “I’m serious Kara, no complaining about Galas or overseas trips or meetings with investors.”

Like taking trips with Lena was that big of a hardship. Yeah the meetings were boring, investors could be nasty, but at least she would get to spend more time with Lena and travel the world for a reason beyond ‘disaster’, “Yes Lena.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped away to go congratulate Dr. Daniels on his retirement again. 

Walking over with another slice of cake that was an obvious bribe to forget his earlier indiscretion, “Do you think that Lena Luthor will come down to the lab and check out the shield I’ve been working on? I mean I know she loves that sort of stuff especially when it relates to You-Know-Who.”

Shield? You-know-who? That wasn’t an L-Corp project, “What Shield? I don’t know who?”

“You know the,” Win’s voice fell to a hush whisper from behind his hand, “Kryptonite shield for the DEO,” he dropped his hand and spoke more normally, “The one J’onn and Alex asked me to build after your most recent brush with it.”

Wincing at the memory of being shot with the Kryptonite core, she focused on the other part. Did Winn also work for the DEO? She knew that he consulted on occasion because neither she nor Winn were able to keep to themselves (which was arguably a good thing), but, she scraped the bottom of her plate for frosting, “Considering your contract with L-Corp doesn’t allow you to be working in two places at once for security and secrecy reasons, you might not want to tell Lena regardless of her fascination with Supergirl.”

Winn’s face went through several emotions, confusion, fear, outrage, sadness, then he sighed and took her plate in resignation. 

It doesn’t actually matter to Kara if Winn builds code and tech for the DEO as long as he doesn’t use or leak L-Corp tech.

It wasn’t as though he had a very high clearance in either organization.

He likes to take on risky side projects and experiments that had to do with weapons and security, and had less of an interest in the environment. The only reason that he hadn’t left to go to the DEO was because of the remarkable tech and ideas that Lena was coming out with and his hope of being promoted to a more top secret robotics projects and government contracts.

(Considering how bad he was at keeping secrets, she didn’t think that was going to happen, but he was great at his job, so who knows?

Oh Rao, it was her job to know.)

This was probably keeping him busy, happy, and with a higher level of self-confidence and self-importance.

But if something were to be leaked Lena will find a way to kill her with or without Kryptonite.

In other words, this was a problem for tomorrow. 

Dr. Daniels was celebrating with some older colleagues that have known him for years, a few who were probably also due for retirement soon, it would be cruel to make him do the paperwork on himself.

Passing by Winn she stole his cake and made her way down to the lab to fill out the retirement and leave forms and make sure security removes all his clearance. 

Everything else would be handled by HR. But since she was already down here she might as well get started on organizing those budgets he had left on her desk this morning and do the leave approvals. 

\----

Later that night when she and Lena were spread across the couch watching a documentary on Jellyfish in her apartment she couldn’t help but think about Winn’s Kryptonite shield, and Winn’s desperation to win Lena’s approval.

(Which wasn’t hard, and considering he worked for her, she obviously did.)

Or specifically what Lena would think about it.

“Hey Lena?”

“Mmm?”

“If I were to say, have access to some super cool tech for Supergirl, would you want to check it out?” Kara questioned, “Even if it turned out one of your employees had violated their contract to make the equipment?”

Lena slammed the pause button, “Supergirl uses tech, and you have access???” She turned to Kara and pointed at her, “How is this the first time I’m hearing about this? Do you know Supergirl? Who else is involved?”

That was an unexpected reaction. 

It wasn’t that Kara wasn’t aware of Lena’s fascination with Supergirl, Alex liked to say she would be worried that a Luthor was so fascinated if it was so obvious why. Winn said he understood the appeal and made the initial suit that way for a reason, then for some reason got hit in the head by Alex. 

She understood it from a strictly scientific perspective, Supergirl was an alien with an interesting biology that any human scientist would want to study, heck Alex had studied her for fun (although Eiza had shut that down until she became Supergirl again). Lena also liked to regularly make jokes about how hot Supergirl was and about her crush on Supergirl.

Although now, “Lena is there something you want to tell me?”

“Obviously I’m not the one who needs to be doing the talking. You’ve been holding out on me, you know that I look up to Supergirl, you know she saved me multiple times, I would love to help her.”

Oh well that made more sense. Lena just wanted to pay Supergirl back for her help. 

“Alex works with the FBI and occasionally Supergirl, also she volunteers in some alien non-profits I support.”

Falling back down on the couch Lena grumbled, “Still you could’ve told me you knew Supergirl,” she then stated louder, “I would love to check out the tech and I’ll reprimand and revise the contract of whoever helped with the tech without further action, if I get the specs for it as well.”

That adds a little complexity, J’onn and Alex won’t be happy with a Luthor that had knowledge of how an anti-kryptonite shield worked, but, “I might be able to work something out.”

“Great.” Lena shifted uncomfortably on the couch, “Are you just donating and volunteering at some alien non-profits, or is there something you need... are lacking? Is it medicine, I can help with medicine or food, you just eat so much…”

Lena trailed off looking fairly uncomfortable.

It made Kara smile, “No my species is well accommodated on this planet, I’ve been volunteering at the Med-Space non-profit for alien medical equipment, which the alien detection device is doing well at by the way,” she shifted lower turning the tv back on, “and also at the The Kitchen which you declined to donate too.”

It made sense, Lena had to be more careful about her image, and The Kitchen wasn’t very careful about it’s practices and often procured materials illegally, but Lena didn’t take the Jab personally and just shrugged.

“I’m surprised Supergirl stops by The Kitchen, I thought a government agency wouldn’t want her supporting the illegal procurement of goods.”

Well that’s because it was Kara Danvers and not Supergirl that stopped by, “I’m not sure she knows, she does rounds at most alien non-profits,” which is true, “and mostly helped move boxes and equipment,” which was also technically true, “and didn’t really make a public appearance.” which was also true.

“Well if you’re planning on coming out with me more according to our new deal, I would ask that you don’t endorse it publicly on any social media, although you're free to donate and support it privately.”

Gosh darn it.

Maybe she should quit after all?

Lena turned and narrowed her eyes, “Don’t you dare even think about it.”

Darn it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be honest, I realized I gave her a position as a director in a large company, but then she wasn't really acting like it, and so I sat down to really think about what it means and it what it's going to mean going forward. Then I realized why one of my friends turned down the position of Director in his company, as he didn't want to manage the department. Also I wanted a lighter chapter after the last chapter and wanted more Winn. Does anyone know what Winn's specialty is, I feel like they treat scientists in the show the same way people on the internet who blame physicists for not finding the cure for cancer do, all scientists know all science. There is no specialties. I assumed Lena was more of a mechanical engineer, then she was doing a bunch with human testing, then ai, so IDK. Maybe I should of explored Kara's alieness a little more in this chapter, but I didn't know how to incorporate it. Anyway I love comments, complaints, criticism, general thoughts, leave kudos, or don't! Stay safe.


	8. L-Corp is the bomb.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was ticking.

There was ticking.

And Kara had a headache. Because of the ticking.

And because Alex had stolen her vegan leather jacket to look cooler than some, for some, cop, she doesn’t know but she wants her jacket back.

And because Winn had lied to her over the phone faking a cough to get out of work to get some comic book signed even though she needed him to fix the bugs in the damn coding that he wrote so they can test the system so failures and success can be statistically measured.

And because she had to argue with HR about the darn dunnderhead she fired, and just remembering that she fired someone was upsetting.

And now the ticking. 

Which was probably only annoying to her because of sensitive ears. This is why they used digital clocks in the lab.

As director she had enforced rules to keep the lab clean, neat, without unnecessary sounds and odors that would make her life harder. People were usually pretty good about it too.

(So ok, she wasn’t a perfect boss and had some silly rules and preferences. But so what? The only person who really cared about it was old man Jenkins who was used to working a certain way and abusing certain protocols. But she let him get away with a lot. Therefore he had no place to complain.)

Which is why this ticking was annoying. Maybe it was coming from a wristwatch?

The sweet smell of nitroglycerine wasn’t helping. There were plenty of chemicals and pungent odors in this lab. She couldn’t figure out why anyone was using it, they weren’t working on anything relating to heart conditions and it’s not like they were building-

_ There was a bomb. _

“Everybody GET OUT!!!” she screamed, lunging at the fire alarm. Luckily this was a lab and the combination of her screaming, “OUT!EVACUATE!OUT!” along with the fire alarm and emergency alarm was enough to get people moving. She pressed herself against the wall near the blaring alarm.

It was driving her nuts. The noise felt as though it was blowing a whole through her brain. But her ear dreams won’t burst, and the safety of the people came first. Plus she wanted to grab some important data once she saw everyone got out.

It was a little chaotic with everyone pushing through, but since no one was quite sure why they were leaving it was orderly enough that no one was really panicking.

Except the old man who was struggling slowly with his cane. 

Without even thinking about it she picked up old man Jenkins and carried him a little faster than humanly up the stairs and towards the doors. 

Tony, the security guard evacuating people by the elevators and the emergency stairs near the lobby, saw her and ran over. Without saying a word he held out his arms. She nodded passing Jenkins over and running back in. 

There was years worth of data and experiments worth millions of dollars inside. She is already resigned to losing the experiments, but data would be easy and unsuspicious to save.

She pushed against the moving crowd, steadying people who stumbled before she ran down the emergency stairs back into the lab.

Daria had fallen over and hurt her ankle in the ruckus and so after quickly grabbing the memory card she went to her. 

“Do you mind if I pick you up?’ she asked

Daria shook her head. 

Perfect.

Trying to keep it at a slightly faster than regular human pace she got halfway there before she felt the building tremble. She quickly adjusted her grip on Daria and covered her.

The debris that fell on her back barely felt like taps, but Kara assumed that it would be enough to cause some serious damage to humans and wondered if she should lay there and wait to be rescued.

But then she would have to be inspected for injury so...

Pushing the rubble off to make it seem as though they were spared from any falling debris she pulled Daria back up and helped her out.

Paramedics reached them before they could make it out and took Daria from her insisting she needed help and to be looked over.

She didn’t argue, they didn’t know.

Letting herself be led away she noticed Lena frantically arguing with a cop as Jess seemed to be trying to either calm her down or hold her back by casually inserting herself between them. Jess seemed just as distraught, but her primary concern seemed to be over Lena. The Cop looked as though he pitied and feared her at the same time. Lena just looked wrecked.

Her ears were ringing from the explosion, but with her hearing she was able to make out her name. One of the fire fighters near her went and yelled her name back to the chief causing Lena to turn around.

Upon seeing her she sprinted into Kara, tackling her into a hug.

“God, I was, God, never, ever, do that again,” she whispered taking Kara’s face into her hands, she then ran her hands up and down Kara’s body, checking for injuries, checking she was all there, before once again collapsing and hugging Kara so tight she could even feel it a little, “I was so scared Kara, I thought. Don’t go back, if something like that ever happens again, I need you to be ok,” her voice sounded smaller and more broken, “don’t be a hero.”

For a few minutes Kara just held Lena as Lena shook in her arms, and let out a sob into her shoulder. Kara gently rubbed Lena’s back inspecting the surrounding area. There was smoke coming out of the building, but it looked structurally sound otherwise.

Hundreds of people stood outside and almost everyone in a lab coat was talking to either paramedics or police. The medic closest to her was awkwardly fidgeting with equipment, probably trying to give them some privacy, but also eager to continue checking her out.

Finally Lena released her grip just enough to be able to turn and look at the medic.

“Does she have any injuries?” she turned asking the nearest paramedic. 

The paramedic pointendly continued to look down and answered, “Not as far as we can see ma’am, but we’ll give her an extra thorough check up.”

Wonderful, that was exactly what she needed.

She felt Lena let out another sob into her shirt and just held onto her as the paramedics busied themselves with other work. 

“Worried that something happened to your favorite minion,” she mummbled into Lena’s ear as she pet her hair.

Lena gave a choked laugh.

“God yes, your my very best minion, I’m useless without you, my evil empire will fall apart if you’re,” she paused breathing hard, “if you’re not here.”

“I think you’re mistaking me for Jess,” she untangled them and wiped Lena’s tears, “She’s your most useful minion, I’m just your favorite.”

Lena went and captured her in another hug, “Yeah, but as my favorite and as  _ my _ minion. You’re not allowed to get hurt or be in danger, or anything like that.”

“I’m ok Lena.”

“I’m going to kill the person who did this, I'm going to make their lives a living hell until the death I bring unto them is a mercy.”

“I’m ok, I was never in any real danger and I got everyone out before they were in danger,” she never expected to be protecting a bomber, but here she was, “How about instead we go back to my place, or yours, or wherever you want and watch a silly movie and eat pizza.”

“Ok,” came Lena’s soft voice. This time Lena untangles herself from Kara, seeming to calm down at the idea.

“Ok,” Kara said, giving her a smile and holding her arms, Lena gave her a shaky smile back before doing, what Kara liked to call, her CEO face. Confident, a little flirty, and deadly.

“How’s my makeup?” she asked biting her bottom lip. The question wasn’t necessary as Lena only wore brands built to survive Armageddon and look perfect, wailing, tears, underwater caves, and hurricanes wouldn’t so much as smudge it.

“Perfect as always, but your eyes are a little red,” she admitted.

Lena sighed and clenched her fists. Kara reached out holding Lena’s hand and spreading her fingers.

“Honestly in this mess, I doubt anyone will be focusing on that,” the glancing at Jess who was impatiently tapping her foot and had her eyes narrowed at Kara she quickly continues, “although I would go back to Jess before she develops heat vision and really makes you lose your favorite minion.”

Lena bit back a smile biting into her lower lip. She just trailed her fingertips across Kara’s face, “Call your sister and your mom, and then wait for me please.”

She turned and left and suddenly all of the paramedics were fussing over her as though Lena Luthor had unfroze them from time.

Sighing she let them do their jobs, and honestly it was better not to argue. Everyone involved would just get upset, and Lena would be called back. 

Looking around as they adjusted her body and asked her questions she saw Alex standing near an FBI printed vehicle with the biggest, stupidest, grin on her face, Kara suspected she saw the entire encounter with Lena.

When she saw Kara looking at her she cupped her mouth and whispered. But Kara heard it loud and clear. 

“Gayyy”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I needed to fix chapter 6 and it made it hard for me to write this chapter. Instead of rewriting the entirety of 6 I just tried to make Alex's side a little more clear, and also make it clear that Lena has no idea who Supergirl is. I know it's still problematic, but if I focus on it I won't be able to move forward with this fic. I know this chapter is short, I was planning on making it longer, sorry, but I really like where it ended. 
> 
> SPOILER ALERT, I'm gonna do the reveal soon. 
> 
> Anyway I might disappear again for a while, I got laid off and have been doing interviews as well as have to deal with the beginning of classes. So updates will be random.


	9. 3+3 makes 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena puts it together.

The moment Lena had said, “So don’t tell Supergirl, but I’m currently working with the city to show her our appreciation for all the work she has done. I’m actually really excited that L-Corp was chosen as the primary sponsor, our hard work and environmental initiatives have been paying off and this is a big show of trust,” Kara should have realized that Lena had not figured out that she was Supergirl like she and Alex had thought.

To be fair, Kara was honestly more focused on the second half of the statement and very excited about the Pizza that Lena had found.

Because there were three things that Kara thought she knew, that turned out to be wrong:

-Italians made the best pizza.

-That Kara knew about all the large projects and happenings at L-Corp.

-Lena had figured out she was Supergirl.

Which only goes to prove that all hypotheses must be tested before making any assumptions.

So instead of processing the words, “Don’t tell Supergirl,” she was focused on, “L-Corp was chosen as the primary sponsor.”

Lena was absolutely right. That was great news. It showed that the Environmental Initiatives were not just paying off, but they were being noticed, and that the rebranding they had done worked. Otherwise, who would let a Luther run company celebrate a Super’s big day.

As exciting as that was, how had Kara not even known that A) National City was planning on celebrating her, B) L-Corp was trying to sponsor the event.

She felt like this would’ve come up at one of the meetings with the Board, or even something that Shareholders would be speaking about. 

Or something that someone, anyone on the food chain should have informed her about beforehand.

She was a Director, Lena’s favorite, but also the Director of the biggest department in L-Corp.

She knew  _ everything _ that was going on. Eventually everything falls onto her desk in some way or another. So how did she miss this?

She frowned at her pizza slice. This was probably Italy’s fault again, it probably happened while she was in Italy. 

One of the projects she was overseeing was a carbon negative jet, the EU was more interested than most American companies so apparently Lena had made a deal where they would manufacture certain parts across the EU and move some factories to Europe to increase jobs, and once the jet was finished the EU would buy a certain amount for a premium price.

That was great for L-Corp and the EU but not so much for Kara for whom it created the headache of having to find clever ways of “flying” to Europe and going through customs without actually using a plane.

(Although Alex kept saying she could suck it up and use a plane, but Kara pointed out that the DEO had a partnership with her, and she wanted perks, besides L-Corp essentially paid them thousands of dollars to forge a flight plan for her, she has no idea why Alex and Winn complained.)

So Kara had to make a trip to Brescia, Italy, because for some unknown reason one of the parts they made kept falling apart during test runs of a larger piece of machinery going into the plane.

Since government officials were involved and contracts, it was Kara specifically that had to go check it out.

(Upon inspection they were cutting corners. She specifically said to use Stanyl® TS250F6D and not Stanyl® Diablo HDT2700, those were two entirely different grades of plastic, they weren’t building a car for goodness sake.)

Anyway she had to make a stop in Rome first to make her flight plan look real, and it turned out ordering Pizza in Rome was a mistake. Because it sucked.

She knows.

It was Italy!

Home of the pizza!

She was shocked. Across most of the rest of Italy including Milan, the Pizza was wonderful, but how did Rome turn pizza into cardboard? This was coming from the alien who ate almost everything!

So maybe while she was busy savoring her Michelin star pizza and wondering how she missed such a big project she didn’t think to question Lena’s initial statement, “Don’t tell Supergirl,” it goes to show how assumptions must hold solid proof before proceeding with the rest of the motions.

To be fair, it was based on some qualitative data; comments and statements Lena made about Kara and Supergirl and general observation skills Lena had, and quantitative data about Lena’s intelligence that had led, not just Kara but Alex too, to this assumption.

Which was a really long winded way of saying Kara screwed up.

She was focused on the logistics of the day and what was going to happen, especially since she was playing catch up.

“Wait, will I be required to show up as Supergirl and as one of your Directors, or will L-Corp representatives be limited for the day?” Lena’s breathe hitched, but Lena’s breathing wasn’t always the most even so Kara didn’t pay it much attention and continued, “Also is L-Corp designing the statue? I’m not sure how I feel about a statue period, but I’m certainly not narcissus,” Kara paused, that was the flower, but what was the phrase? “Narcissium? Anyway, I’m not self centered enough to design a statue of myself.”

It was then Kara had realized that Lena’s breathing had not evened out and that she hadn’t heard Lena do any checks on her phone or tablet or typing or any motions at all, except her heart rate had sped up.

But that was an automatic response that Lena had no conscious control over.

Although it was usually both showing and concerning.

Looking up from the tablet she was working with she realized Lena was sitting extremely still, hands gripping the table with white knuckles, slightly leaned over as if to get a better look at Kara. 

Her dark red lips opened as though to form a single syllable, as though she started a question but hadn’t been able to voice it.

This wasn’t Ms. Luthor, CEO or L-Corp, Queen of National City. This was Lena, puzzling out a problem in the lab.

And it looked like she reached a solution that made no sense.

“Lena?”

Suddenly Lena leaned back in her chair, and not only was her mask back on, but it was her boardroom face, and where there was complete silence and stillness before, there was clamour and a flurry of movement now.

“Oh my god.” Lena slammed the drawer for her desk and stood from her chair and started heading over the minibar shaking her head.

She abruptly stopped and turned around.

“I told you yesterday that the only real meal I wanted was Supergirl, I said I was hoping to be on Supergirl’s to do list, I told you I DREAM ABOUT HER ARMS!”

She screamed the last part, her hands pulling up on her hair.

And just as suddenly as she stopped Lena to a blur of motion. She was pacing, reaching for a glass. Dropping it when she realized it was empty. Walking to her liquor cabinet. Just shaking. Walking away from her liquor cabinet. Back to her desk to find hidden bottles.

“Lena?” Kara was having a hard time understanding what was going on.

“Don’t you Lena me. How dare you?” Lena slammed her whiskey on the table, “You need to leave.”

“Oh, okay.” Kara said, suddenly feeling small and confused, “If that’s what you really want, but can you explain why?”

“How am I supposed to look in your eyes after all the humiliation you let me suffer. My reputation will never recover. I slept in your arms, I slept in Supergirl’s arms, is that why you always wear those sweaters?” Lena fell on her couch and put her head in her hands, “Maybe I should kill you, to save myself from the humiliation.”

Lena was bordering on hysterical.

Why did it matter that she slept in Kara's arms, or Supergirl's, Kara was Supergirl?

Oh. 

OH. OHHH.

The joke about Lena’s crush on Supergirl, was not a silly in joke between friends.

The room suddenly felt a lot warmer.

And for no reason at all Kara felt giddy.

“You have a crush on Supergirl,” Kara paused, feeling even happier, “You had a crush on me!”

Lena collapsed on the floor and pointed at her, “No, don’t you dare… I hate you. I despise you.” she said. She dropped her hand and covered her face but sounded as though she was on the verge of tears, “How did I not know? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kara’s good mood evaporated.

Lena was shaking.

And if Lena was sad then Kara was sad, and she rather be happy and excited that her friend found out her identity. She rather Lena be happy and excited in general. 

Kara went by Lena’s side and pulled her into her arms so she could hold her. Lena kept her face covered and stayed tense, but also let herself be tucked under Kara’s chin.

“I thought you knew,” she whispered.

“How am I so stupid?”

“You really aren’t.”

“You’ve heard me snore.” she said really quietly.

“I think it’s a really cute snore.” Kara admitted.

“Really?” Lena looked up, her voice high pitched and small.

“Yeah.”

It brought a smile to Lena’s face for about 10 seconds until her face dropped into her hands again.

“Supergirl watched me kill a completely innocent field of flowers.” Lena moaned.

“It wasn’t a field, it was a few feet in a controlled environment and I was on the project therefore part of the screw up.” Also she wasn’t sure how flowers could be guilty of anything. Although she guessed certain ones could be said to try and kill people, like vegetables, and be guilty of attempted murder.

Not today Kale.

“How am I supposed to impress and prove to Supergirl that I’m good if I fail in front of her.” Lena whined.

“You fixed it and saved hundreds of acres which was really impressive.”

“And the alien detection device. I, a Luthor, had Supergirl try an Alien detection device.” Lena paled.

“Ok, so that one was a bit awkward but we worked it out!”

Apparently that wasn’t the right thing to say.

“Kara! This isn’t funny.” Lena stood up and she had tears in her eyes.

Oh no.

She pulled Lena back closer into her arms, “You are good, I wouldn’t be working for you if you weren’t a good person and you know that. And when I think you aren’t doing good I tell you. There is no need to impress me because you are already so impressive, but you know you impress me.”

“But do I impress Supergirl, am I good enough for Supergirl?”  she asked.

Kara gave a tight laugh, “I am Supergirl Lena. This alien that you know who likes birds and trees is the same alien that fights for those birds and trees.”

Lena gave her a tight smile and wiped her eyes, “I’m sorry, I’m having a hard time putting you together. I think my mind is trying to protect me after I told you I dream about Supergirl’s arms, speaking of which-” Lena turned to look at Kara “-isn’t awkward at all.”

Kara thought about it for a minute, “I guess it’s a little weird that you would dream about my disembodied arms, but Alex had explained that talking about wanting to partake in Cannibalism has roots from the time when Humans thought eating flesh would provide transference for the soul, so it should be taken as a compliment. Although it’s a weird complement,” then Kara brightened, "But I'm glad you think I'm pretty!"

"Of course I think you're pretty, you're beautiful,"  Lena narrowed her eyes and was looking at her like she was a puzzle again, “When did Alex explain this exactly?”

“Back when I was in college and some girl told me she wanted to eat me up.”

Lena opened her mouth and narrowed her eyes further looking like she wanted to say something. Then she furrowed her brow and pressed her lips together.

After a minute, she sighed and pinched her nose.

“You know what. I’m emotionally exhausted. I think I’m just going to finish some paperwork and take half a day,” She pushed herself up off Kara using Kara like a dead weight, “Do you think you can give me Alex’s number?”

Kara also stood up and brushed off the dirt that came with sitting on the floor.

“Sure, but why?”

Of course she wanted Lena and Alex to be friends. They’ve met before but have always had short and to the point conversations, never expressing interest in each other past pleasantries or beyond Kara’s sake.

“I haven’t decided,” Lena sat at her desk, leaned over and crossed her arms with that smiling predatory expression she loved to wear, “Either to thank her, or kill her.”

Kara gulped, but dug out her phone anyway.

Whatever it was, was Alex’s problem now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex had most definitely lied to Kara about stuff like that, Kara would've been such an easy mark, a thirteen year old alien without any friends to double check her info with who was most definitely sheltered and in my story probably very sheltered through college as well as a genius with a goal who had a hard time making friends, I don't think the crowd she hung out with would've even noticed. My brother had spun webs of lies, and even my friends didn't bother correcting me because they thought it was funny and sometimes I still trip up on things because he had convinced me when I was five and it is now one of my core beliefs.
> 
> Anyway, this isn't my favorite chapter, but I wanted to put it out because it's been a while and I'm not going to get anymore time anytime soon to rewrite and revise it. I honestly started writing it and it slowly started turning into Kara's adventures in Italy ranking pizzas while Lena both yelled at her for skimping on the job but also encouraged her because she too had to take occasional business trips to Italy and wanted to know the best places to go, and then I remembered I promised a reveal. I had an idea where I wanted to go with it, but I guess I lose points on the execution. Anyway, hope you enjoy!


	10. The meaning of home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara, Lena and Alex work with carvings while Kara ruminates about "home".

Back when Kara had just started assimilating to Earth, Eliza had decided to take her and Alex on a trip to France.

Thinking back now it probably had very little to do with Alex’s interest in France or showing Kara the world, it was probably an attempt to escape the hole Jeremiah left and all the negativity in the house.

The trip had been decided after an argument that ended when Alex had screamed at Kara “you don’t have a home.”

Which, to be fair didn’t rate very high on the worst things Alex had said to her back then, but somehow had resonated so much more. Enough that she had wept and slept on the roof for eight after wrecking their shared room.

Kryptonheui had 10 words for love, 18 for lodgings, 13 for family, and yet not a single one meant home.

So when Alex yelled those words for her it took her a minute to process what it meant. If Alex had said them a month and a half earlier, Kara would have completely brushed them off, the word itself would have been meaningless beyond ownership of a house.

But that wasn’t what home meant.

For example, now she finds home in the early hours in the morning and sometimes the evening, when the world is painted red and the light hits the windows of the skyscrapers just right. When Earth is painted in the light of Krypton, yet there is the squawking noise of birds in the sky.

Home was the tall skyscrapers of Dubai when the light hit them just right and the desert air had tasted the right way.

Home can be a planet, home can be that one corner in the room, home can mean family.

It wasn’t a concept that they had on Krypton. They didn’t think about the world in those terms.

It was something that she had lost immediately upon gaining. She only learned the word home, to understand she lost hers.

So when Alex said those words, she realized she had a home, it was a second of euphoria, she had already learned about homelessness, and how the concept of home extended outside the physical house, and the sense of belonging. Maybe it was an earth concept they didn’t have on Krypton but something that she did have, a home, Alex was wrong. Her home was Krypton.

Then she realized Alex was right.

Her home had gone up in flames and exploded into a million pieces with everything else she had known.

She had no home.

Well now she did, but back then, Earth wasn’t her home yet, and Alex wasn’t her sister. 

In a weird circle it was the very girl that told her she had no home out of anger and spite had helped make one for her.

It was after that argument and subsequent emotional outburst that led to Eliza deciding it would be good for Kara to see more of this new planet, in order to make it home. For Alex to broaden her horizons and open her mind, become more accepting. Or too escape the house that felt like it was turning into a black hole of emotions.

The trip went actually better than you would think with two brooding teenagers that despised each other and didn’t want to go, but not well enough that Eliza was ever going to do it again.

Between Alex trying to drink her way through Europe, Kara pretty much shutting off the entire time completely unengaged with anything but the food, and both their constant arguing and complaining, it was surprising Eliza didn’t pick up a drinking problem. 

But the trip did help Kara find a piece of home.

Unsurprisingly in one of her favorite parts of Earth. The cuisine. 

On Krypton eating was considered mostly a chore, unless specifically treated as an artwork, like at a gallery. Her family had a friend from an art guild who was similar to a chef, he even had something like a kitchen where he had his favorite recipe from other planets constantly shifting across the edges of the walls.

The French treated their food similarly, like artwork. A meal could go for hours, it was meant to be savoured. Flavors were rich and meant to be tasted.

It was a piece of home that the American culture was completely lacking. Something that she didn’t care much about on Krypton but as she sat down with Alex and Eliza and those tiny portions that looked like art, happy memories that she had forgotten had come back.

She even remembered arguing with Ma-Ren about a recipe shifting across the edge of one of his walls, it was for their ordinary meal that Kalex made and what was meant to be across the walls was sacred.

For the life of her she could not tell you how the meal went that day, she was young and disinterested (although she could name the meal and key components of it and probably some other information because information was something she was born for) but she would never forget how he told her that their daily meal may be uninteresting gruel, seemingly unremarkable, but it was what kept the population alive and going, so it was actually the most remarkable of all, and what can be more sacred than that? He had asked her.

That trip to France may have put both Alex and Eliza off traveling, but it made Kara eager to find whatever other shadows of home the planet had hidden away. 

It was how she now found herself in her apartment with Alex, carefully unboxing the carved gypsum plaster she ordered from Morocco.

Oddly enough, in trying to preserve her home here on Earth, she had taken to a much cozier bohemian way of life.

If she was raised back on Krypton she would probably be horrified by stylistic choices she had chosen, privately to herself, she might admit, they were a bit uptight, although for good reasons she reminds herself, and while those reasons may exist here to a similar extent on Earth, her choosing to live that way would ultimately be a stylistic choice, and she had learned to embrace, to love the freedom that Earth provided her.

Of course she missed the structure, the carved path, the automatic belonging that Krypton provided.

There was no question where your place was in the world. You were literally built for it.

They didn’t need the concept of home because everyone had one, no one questioned theirs. 

But she had spent many years building her home on Earth, fighting, carving out a place for herself, and her apartment, with its bright colors and many objects reflecting that.

She had great pride in it.

She had first seen the plaster in a mosque, carved with gorgeous Arabic calligraphy, with words from the Quran. 

Kara had seen quite a bit of it around Turkey and Morocco and every time she saw it all she could think about was those nanobots decorating the edge Ma-Ren’s kitchen, the ones in the entrance of the house of El, the ones decorating her room.

They too were sacred phrases, not necessarily relating to Rao, although the ones in her room were a conversation between Rao and a Firebird about duty that reading used to feel like wrapping herself in a blanket.

But was treated differently and played a different role on Earth and Krypton. Even so, the more she saw the gypsum carvings, the more she remembered the ones at home.

Sadly she didn’t know how the carvings or rather nanobots worked back on Krypton, she didn’t even remember the word for them.

The technology was beyond the scopes of even a brilliant 12 year old and they were just something that she barely paid attention to in her life, something part of the background, part of Krypton that was everywhere. Like molding or wallpaper to a child.

They may appreciate more ornate ones that run along the top and bottom of the room, but otherwise, may not notice it all. 

Which was a terrifying thought she decided not to dwell on. Or think about.

“I can’t believe I’m helping you with this, and without alcohol, where is the tracing paper Kara?” Alex asked.

Now looking at the gypsum plaster that had Krytonehuei carvings she had some small regrets not paying more attention, but it was just something else she decided not to think about. 

She just wants to think about how beautifully these came about, and how much more beautiful it will be with the stainless steel lining the top.

(So she wants a mix between the Earth custom and the Kryptonian custom, so sue her. She knew it might insult the men who had created these so she was having two separate orders done.)

“I have it right here,” Kara held it up with a grin.

She was excited.

Alex sighed, “Yeah ok, let’s get this over with.”

She was not so excited about an hour in.

“Kara I swear to god if you make me redo another one of these I’m going too-”

“I did not force you to be here, you’re the one who wanted to help!”

“I don’t get why so much effort if they are just going under the island where they will be practically unnoticeable anyway.”

She was going to fry her sister with heat vision.

She must’ve explained about a hundred times how this was sacred.

“And before you say it’s sacred again, I just want to remind you  _ this is a recipe for mom’s chocolate pecan pie _ .”

Before Kara could scream it’s the best pie in this galaxy the doorbell rang and Alex yelled “It’s probably the pizza, I’ll get it,” and ran to the door.

Maybe she was a little tempted to use her heat vision on Alex's tracings but that would be counter productive.

Kara continued to carefully trace out the carvings.

If she uses superspeed there might be mistakes and there isn’t any room for error here.

“Lena? What are you doing here?”

Her pencil missed a stroke but she barely noticed speeding to the door.

“Lena!” She captured Lena in a hug.

Hugs were a wonderful thing she had discovered on this planet, and while she had too be more careful with them than most people, she loved handing them out to her loved ones all the same.

Lena laughed and hugged her back before pushing her away and biting her lower lip.

“Careful darling, I might get used to being greeted like this and will expect it every time I see you. What will remain of my reputation?” She playfully asked.

Kara pulled Lena inside while Alex groaned.

“That sounds like a Lena problem not a Kara problem, I will be sure to let the press know how soft you really are.”

Lena opened her mouth and put her hand over it in faux betrayal.

Alex groaned reminding them of her presence.

The effect was immediate. Lena straightened up and put on a more polite and apologetic smile, Kara could see her concern.

“I’m not interrupting sister night am I?”

“I wish.” Alex sighed, “No we’re tracing designs from plaster so Kara could put stainless steel plates on the plaster for a tiny effect, in a place where no one will even see them.” Alex maliciously explained.

It wasn't that Alex was wrong. It was just that she was missing the point.

“You know you came over all on your own, I didn’t ask you for help.”

“What kind of sister would I be if I wasn’t here?”

Before the two of them could start bickering again, Lena decided to distract them with a question, “Why not just laser scan the plaster? We have more than one at L-Corp and it would be far more accurate.”

Alex just turned to Kara.

“I didn’t realize I could use company property for personal reasons!” Kara frantically defended herself against Alex’s glare.

“Just as long as you use your own materials and don’t break the machines I don’t see why it would be a problem.”

Alex opened her mouth and raised her finger, then closed it as though she thought better of it and just sighed, “I’m going to get a drink, and then we’ll talk about how I finally get to see your top secret lab for all the unnecessary pain you caused me.”

They watched Alex go muttering into the kitchen about hours of tracing, and pain in her wrist.

“Can I take Alex into my lab?” Kara asked Lena who was just awkwardly standing there staring at the plaster.

“Hmm?” Lena turned to her, “Yes. I mean she would need to sign some forms obviously and you can’t show her anything that hasn’t been publicly released, but why not?”

Lena smiled looking a little uncomfortable and off balance. Still in her heels and coat.

Still in her heels and coat.

Eliza would be horrified by Kara's manners.

“Oh, let me take your jacket for you and make yourself at home,” Kara rushed to take off Lena’s coat, “We're having pizza!” It took a minute for Kara to realize that she had no idea why Lena was here, Lena rarely came over and it was usually planned ahead unless, "Is something wrong, did something happen?"

That relaxed Lena a bit, “Kara, I'm fine, pizza is fine, I just came over because I,” she paused and straightened her back as though gathering a little bit of courage, “I just wanted to spend some time with my friend and you did say I had an open invitation.” She rushed the last part.

But it only made Kara smile wider.

“Of course! Oooh we can have a best friend night! Or a movie night.”

“I’m still here you guys.”

“A girls night, that can still be a movie night.” Kara called back.

Lena seemed to relax a little but still kept looking at the plaster.

“Sorry about the mess, I can have those put away in a second if you want to sit down and pick a movie.” Kara was moving some extra cushions around.

“Oh no, it’s not that I don’t mind, it’s just, aren’t those Kryptonian words, should you have them out, is that something I should even be seeing?”

Alex came out with two glasses of whiskey, and handed Lena one.

“Relax, it’s just a recipe for Pecan Pie and it’s not in the direct view of the door for delivery people, although I do agree that Kara should be more careful.”

Lena shoulders dropped and she leaned into the cushions and gave Kara a bit of a lazy smile, “Pecan pie?”

Now Kara was a bit embarrassed, “It’s not just Pecan Pie. It’s Chocolate Pecan Pie, Eliza’s recipe.”

“Oh I’m sorry, Chocolate Pecan Pie?” Lena teased with a raised eyebrow.

“Apparently it’s the best in the galaxy.” Alex said into her glass not even looking at them, flicking through Netflix.

Kara felt her face heating up.

“So on Krypton…”

Lena leaned closer and sat quietly as she explained. Letting Alex butt in with jokes and short explanations whenever Kara started to ramble or get off track. Not that Lena minded.

The next day Kara took Alex too the lab and managed to keep everything she wasn't supposed to talk about a secret, Winn didn't. At least it was just Alex, Lena was more resigned to it than surprised it happened although Winn got categorically banned from bringing anyone into his work space.

Lena even came over once the installation was complete, with a house warming gift, because she missed the initial housewarming. 

It was a vinyl record for Värttinä, a Finnish folk group where she mentioned they sang a few parts like they did at home. It was the way they enunciated some words and jumped between the octaves. It was the passion and the tone they sang with the same way they sang during the holidays on Krypton. It was so different, the vocalizations, the language, the singing, but somehow it had a similar ring to it. 

It was such a thoughtful gift Kara ordered a used record player and made Alex promise not to tell Lena she didn't have one before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, this chap has been in head for forever but I had no idea how to get it down on paper. I wanted to talk a little more about what it meant for Kara to be Kryptonian and Human and something that had bothered me throughout the show was how American so many aliens seem. It came to me because so many other cultures seem alien to us sometimes, and how alien cultures might seem so different, but on the other hand, how many immigrants find pieces of home and community, connection in things like art, food, and music. For example no matter where you go, people are always frying dough in some way or another pelmoni, dumplings, potstickers, momos, how grandma's everywhere are always trying to feed you. Once I was driving home and my father and I got caught in a snowstorm and it was like he woke up, he had never spoken about his childhood really before then, but suddenly he was giving me all these stories as he watched the snow fall, just the endless whiteness, and he said, it looked so different from home, the way the snow falls, but it feels the same. And I thought maybe Kara might seek out those moments those feelings, but really I wanted to explore what things on the rest of the planet might seem similar in a way to Kryptonian culture and I made a list, it was long, so I tried focusing on two things in chapter.


End file.
